NEWS: Alfie Haaland's career is over at the age of 30 after being released by Manchester City yesterday in the wake of the club's decision not to help him pursue legal action against Roy Keane.
Haaland will receive six months' wages after Kevin Keegan gave up any hope of the Norwegian returning from the serious knee injury that has seen him hardly kick a ball in the last 22 months.
"I have discussed it with Alfie and it was not an easy conversation," said the City chairman David Bernstein.
"The whole thing has been incredibly sad. Alfie worked very, very hard to get himself fit and this decision has not been arrived at easily. My colleagues and I have agonised over this decision, but I believe we have allowed sufficient time to pass."
Haaland has completed just 48 minutes of first-team action since Keane hacked him down in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford in April 2001.
City had instructed a firm of solicitors to determine whether they had a case against Keane and Manchester United for the loss of an employee, his potential earnings and the drop in his transfer valuation.
But it became evident over Christmas that the club were not convinced they had a strong argument, not least because Haaland admitted on his website that his injury existed before the incident with Keane.
Keane may still face legal action if Haaland decides to pursue the matter on his own.
Meanwhile, Dutch coach Dick Advocaat hit out at Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson yesterday for being forced to play Ruud Van Nistelrooy only half of Wednesday's match against Argentina.
Advocaat was angry Ferguson had allowed Argentina to play his midfielder Juan Veron for 75 minutes of Wednesday's friendly.
"I was very surprised and incensed," Advocaat said. "It is clear that I will not do this again. From Manchester United I will not put up with these kind of games anymore."
Leicester City emerged from the turmoil of administration yesterday and began a new era with a proposal to turn the clock back 84 years and rename the club Leicester Fosse.
The Fosse suffix was dropped two months after the club went into liquidation in 1919 and was replaced by City, a change that coincided with the town being granted city status and a takeover of the football club.
Those new owners bought it for £4,500 whereas the Gary Lineker-led consortium, which has become New Fox plc, has just paid the administrators Deloitte and Touche £5 million.
Liverpool's England Under-21 goalkeeper Chris Kirkland does not require surgery on knee ligament damage though he will miss the rest of the season.
Kirkland had just established himself in the first-team when he tore the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a challenge with Crystal Palace's Dele Adebola last month. There were fears the 21-yearold could be sidelined until well into next season. But he had a consultation with Dr Richard Steadman in the US and the knee specialist is confident the damage will heal naturally.
Nottingham Forest have confirmed that they will officially complete the loan signing of Manchester City striker Darren Huckerby on February 24th.
Blackburn's Matt Jansen has joined Coventry on loan for the season in a deal which will see Rovers pay 75 per cent of the £4 million striker's wages as he struggles to fight back from a motorcycle accident last summer.
Leeds' Eirik Bakke will be out for six to eight weeks after suffering ankle-ligament damage in Saturday's win over West Ham.
