Soccer digest

Today's other stories in brief

West Ham in talks with Toni

WEST Ham United are in advanced talks with the Bayern Munich striker Luca Toni about bringing the Italian World Cup winner to Upton Park in next month’s transfer window.

Any move may be dependent on how soon Carlton Cole returns from injury. The England striker limped out of West Ham’s 5-3 win over Burnley at Upton Park at half-time after suffering knee ligament damage.

Yet even if Cole does return over the coming month, Gianfranco Zola, the West Ham manager, may still move for Toni, with the club having engaged in talks with the player and his representatives for the past two weeks.

Maradona ban includes draw

THE ban on Argentina coach Diego Maradona imposed after a foul-mouthed tirade also applies to tomorrow’s World Cup draw, Fifa said yesterday.

Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke said Maradona, who has already said he would be staying away from Cape Town, would not be accredited.

“Maradona was banned from all football activities by the (Fifa) disciplinary committee for two months and that includes the World Cup draw,” he said at a news conference in Cape Town.

Fifa imposed the ban on November 15th after an outburst at the end of last month’s decisive World Cup qualifier in Uruguay.

United opt out of deal for Serbian

MANCHESTER United have terminated an agreement to sign Adem Ljajic, the Serbia under-21 international, in the January transfer window, after deciding he is too expensive a gamble, 11 months after publicly announcing that a deal had been put in place to sign the player dubbed the “little Kaka” in his own country.

The 18-year-old was part of a €18 million deal that also saw his Partizan Belgrade team-mate Zoran Tosic move to Old Trafford last January. The official reason for United pulling out of the arrangement is that Ljajic has failed to live up to the hype since he broke into the Partizan team at the start of the 2008-09 season.

Macheda signs new contract

FEDERICO Macheda has signed a four-year contract extension with Manchester United. The 18-year-old Italian striker made a significant contribution to last season’s Premier League title triumph, scoring late winners against Aston Villa and Sunderland which ultimately proved pivotal in securing United’s 18th league championship.

And, while Macheda has found appearances harder to come by this term, Ferguson has no doubt about the player’s long-term future.

“We are delighted by the new four year deal. Everyone at the club recognises the fantastic talent he has and we hope to see that develop in the next years, so he becomes a well rounded player.”

Torres returns to full training

RAFAEL Benitez’s conviction that Liverpool are over the worst of a turbulent season gained further credence yesterday when Fernando Torres returned to full training for the first time in four weeks. The club are confident their leading goalscorer will be available for Saturday’s visit to Blackburn Rovers.

Torres last appeared for Liverpool in the Champions League draw in Lyon on November 4th, struggling with what was eventually diagnosed as a hernia. With Liverpool reluctant to resort to surgery, the 25-year-old sought a second opinion from a trusted specialist in Valencia, Dr Ramon Cugat, who ordered the striker to rest and receive physiotherapy for three weeks.