Newcastle's Shay Given is determined to establish himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premiership after signing a new deal which will keep him at St James' Park until 2004.
The 24-year-old Republic of Ireland international has ended weeks of speculation that he could be on his way back to his first club, Celtic, by agreeing a new three-year contract.
Given's signature will come as a huge boost to manager Bobby Robson, who rates the Lifford-born keeper as one of the best five in the top flight.
And it means the player can now get his mind back to doing what he does best to hold off the challenge of current understudy Steve Harper.
"It took a bit longer than probably everyone would have liked, but I'm just glad it's all sorted out and I can get on with my football," said Given.
"The gaffer has been great. He said all along that he hoped I could agree a good deal, and that's very encouraging when he tells you things like that."
Given was initially brought to Tyneside in the summer of 1997 when Kenny Dalglish snatched him from under the nose of Sunderland boss Peter Reid for £1.5 million.
He established himself as number one ahead of Shaka Hislop, Pavel Srnicek and Harper under Dalglish, but he was devastated to lose his place to Harper just weeks before the 1999 FA Cup final as Ruud Gullit rang the changes.
A knee injury interrupted his bid to win back his place as Robson replaced the Dutchman, but fate played its part in his recall as Harper twisted an ankle in training the day before United's FA Cup quarterfinal clash with Tranmere at Prenton Park on February 20th.
Given has been the man in possession of the first-team shirt more or less ever since, but he knows Harper is breathing down his neck.
"It's always good to have two experienced keepers and Steve has certainly proved that he is more than capable of doing the job whenever he's been in," he said.
"We've tended to swap around a bit over the last couple of years, but that keeps everyone on their toes."
Robson will be delighted to have tied down the Irishman after sending a firm message to Martin O'Neill that he was wasting his time with a reported £2 million bid as the former Blackburn keeper neared the end of his current deal.
"I'm very happy with our two goalkeepers," he said. "I think we have as good a pair as there is in the Premiership - and I mean that quite sincerely.
Meanwhile, Chelsea chairman Ken Bates revealed that neither Terry Venables nor George Graham will be approached by the club as they seek a successor to sacked manager Gianluca Vialli.
Dismissing the two potential candidates as the "inevitable twins", Bates did not detail the full reasons behind Vialli's sacking other than making a predictable attack on the media-created pressure supposedly around the Italian.
Leeds centre-back Michael Duberry has spoken of the horror moment when he feared skipper Lucas Radebe had broken his neck last night.
Radebe yesterday flew back with the rest of the squad after being released from Barcelona Hospital following a series of Xrays and tests.
With Radebe given the all-clear, a highly-relieved Duberry said: "Last night was very scary.
"Lucas was watching the flight of the ball and although I shouted for it he obviously didn't hear me.
"We then collided and he fell to the ground and at first I didn't think it was that serious, but then Dave Hancock (physio) ran on and Lucas was just lying there motionless.
"There was a lot of concern because he did look in a bad way. Dave was trying to talk to him and that's when they shouted for the neck brace."
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