MANCHESTER rivals Lee Sharpe and Nicky Summerbee are at the centre of a English Football Association probe into drugs and sex allegations. The English FA acted swiftly yesterday to demand explanations from both Manchester clubs after United's Sharpe and City's Summerbee were featured in lurid Sunday newspaper tales.

A teenage girl alleged in the News of the World that Sharpe had told her that he used to smoke pot and invited her to join him in what the newspaper described as "a four in a bed, drug fuelled romp".

She further alleged that Summerbee discussed setting up a sex and drugs party after the pair bad made love.

The FA is determined to drive drugs out of the sport. They have already stepped up random drug testing, and recently Leyton Orient defender Roger Stanislaus was sacked by the club after filing a test.

"We are always extremely concerned about reports linking footballers with drugs," said FA spokesman Steve Double. ,"It is a worry to us that footballers would appear to be portrayed as having an intimate knowledge of drugs."

There will be special concerns at the English FA's Lancaster Gate headquarters that Sharpe appears to admit drug use.