David Connolly is no more than hopeful of finding a place in the starting line-up when Feyenoord seek to strip Manchester United of their flawless record in the European Champions League.

Yet, he views tomorrow's game at Old Trafford as the launch of probably the most critical phase of a career which was given a new sense of purpose with his move from Watford to the Rotterdam club during the close season.

Within the next four weeks, he hopes to be involved in both games in the Republic of Ireland's World Cup playoff against Belgium, an assignment which he believes can accelerate his career on two fronts.

"Our games against Belgium will be high-profile ones in Europe and the projection will do me no harm at all in getting myself established here in Holland," he said. "The real prize, however, would be to get to the World Cup finals and hopefully have a chance of playing with the best in the game. For any player of 20, that's the biggest dream of all."

Since his move to Feyenoord, where he is reputed to earn £150,000 a year, Connolly has found it difficult to win a regular first-team place, although he got on as a substitute for part of their opening game in the Champions League against Juventus.

His prospects of getting into the side ahead of other, longer established international players at Old Trafford tomorrow are thought to be slim. Yet the consolation prize of a place in the squad is not wholly unacceptable.

"A year ago I could never have dreamed of being involved in a big club game like this and who knows I could yet have a chance of playing in some part of it," he said.

Coincidentally, Tony Cascarino, who is expected to join Connolly in the front line for the opening instalment of the Belgian tie at Lansdowne Road a week tomorrow, is also in the news after reports at the weekend linked him with a move to Wimbledon.

Joe Kinnear, the Wimbledon manager, is said to be interested in bringing him back from France on the premise that even at 35, he is capable of solving one of their recurring problems in front of goal.

A move back to London would not be without appeal to the player, but locked as he is into a two-year contract with AS Nancy, he is unlikely to do more than acknowledge Kinnear's show of interest.

The merit of Cascarino's renaissance cannot be understated at a time when Mick McCarthy's front-line options, never particularly varied, have been diminished still further by David Kelly's latest brush with injury.

With Niall Quinn and Keith O'Neill both unavailable, Kelly lost the chance of pressing his claims for another cap when a recurrence of an ankle injury saw him make a premature departure from Tranmere's 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

It means that Michael Evans, with just five minutes international experience to his name, and Tommy Coyne, last capped almost 18 months ago, will now provide the cover if McCarthy perceives a need to replace either Cascarino or Connolly next week.

McCarthy's problems are not confined exclusively to the attack, however, and the continued absence of Ian Harte, the Leeds United defender, is a cause for concern. In the past the Ireland manager has cited regular first-team football as a prime requisite for selection in his teams.

Harte has been denied that opportunity in recent months and his return to first-team status at Elland Road may be some way off yet following their demolition of Newcastle United on Saturday. The consolation for McCarthy is that Gary Kelly's form at right back confirms his remarkable rehabilitation under George Graham.

The man on the receiving end of the best Leeds performance of the season was Shay Given, beaten four times in the course of a difficult afternoon and now surely hoping for greater discipline among the players in front of him for tomorrow's European assignment against PSV Eindhoven.