SOCCER:As Alex Ferguson added the name of famous Celtic old boy Henrik Larsson to the payroll at Old Trafford yesterday, the Glasgow side were expressing an interest in signing young Dublin-born striker Anthony Stokes, who has taken the Scottish Premier Division by storm this season, scoring 12 goals in eight games for Falkirk.
Ferguson announced a 10-week loan deal for Swede Larsson, beginning on January 1st. He will join from Helsingborgs during Sweden's winter break in a move that nobody had seen coming, yet one that could have a significant impact on the title race.
United have paid Helsingborgs an undisclosed six-figure sum, as well as arranging a fee with Larsson, and Ferguson predicted there would be further arrivals in next month's transfer window. One of them, he hopes, will be Owen Hargreaves, the England midfielder who is recovering from a broken leg at Bayern Munich. Another striker cannot be ruled out either.
Celtic chief scout Ray Clarke, meanwhile, will next week report back to manager Gordon Strachan on 18-year-old Stokes, who is on loan from Arsenal.
"What we said to them was we would watch Anthony Stokes on four or five occasions and then make our decision," he said.
"To be fair to the lad, we've just about done that, and my understanding is we'll maybe have one more good look at him in action.
"Once the Champions League group campaign is over with next week's final match in Copenhagen, we'll sit down on all our activities and the manager will decide the way ahead."
Falkirk manager John Hughes has for weeks been trying to extend the SPL top scorer's loan spell beyond the end of December. Stokes is suspended for Falkirk's clash with Rangers tomorrow after receiving two bookings during the 4-2 defeat at Motherwell.
United manager Ferguson did not try to conceal his jubilation after securing the services of Larsson. The player may be 35, but Ferguson is entitled to believe he can play an important role before leaving Old Trafford on March 12th. He was revered in Barcelona, winning a Champions League medal in his final match, and his arrival will lessen Ferguson's concerns about the standard of back-up for Louis Saha and Wayne Rooney.
"We've known about Henrik for a long time, we've always admired him and it's a terrific piece of business for us," said Ferguson. "We've been looking for another striker and, without question, this is the best option for us. We're bringing in someone who can change games. We saw in the Champions League final that he won the game for Barcelona. Arsenal were winning when he came on as substitute but he turned things round for Barcelona and won them the match."
Larsson's statistics will certainly give Jose Mourinho something to ponder at a time when Chelsea's £31 million signing Andriy Shevchenko is in danger of his first season in the Premiership becoming an ordeal. The Swede scored 242 times in 315 games for Celtic, with 36 goals in 93 international appearances.
He will not be eligible to play against Newcastle on January 1st, but he can make his debut in the FA Cup third round five days later and, in total, will be available for up to 13 games - seven in the Premiership, a possible four FA Cup ties and, providing United qualify, both legs of the Champions League first knock-out round.
"I probably won't play every match from the start, but it feels like a very fun thing to contribute at such a late stage in my career," said Larsson. "I will play as much as possible, but I have no idea as yet how Ferguson wants to use me. Am I a back-up? Yes, at the beginning. United have tried to sign me before and it feels nice to join such a big club."
Larsson had not been seeking a move, but Ferguson was made aware of his potential availability because Helsingborgs coach Stuart Baxter is a friend of United's chief scout, Jim Lawler.
Larsson made a big impact when he returned to his home town, as he inspired Helsingborgs to win the Swedish Cup and finish fourth in the league.
