Emerson is back in the north east after a tiring journey from Rio de Janeiro. The Middlesbrough midfielder arrived back on Teesside last night after a flight from Amsterdam was diverted from fog bound Teesside to Newcastle.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa full back Fernando Nelson, who played in the Portuguese League along with Emerson last season, has hit out at the legion of foreign stars complaining at being unable to adjust to English football and the way of life in this country.

Nelson claimed that problems could have been avoided had players made the effort to become better prepared before moving to England.