Ruud Gullit yesterday quashed talk of a rift with the £15 million Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer, saying: "There are always people who try to create a divide when there is nothing there."

In his first press conference since taking over as Newcastle manager, Gullit defended the England captain's lean goal-scoring record this season and blamed poor service from the rest of the team for the fact that he had yet to hit the back of the net for his club.

"Alan Shearer is one of the best strikers around, of course he is. He is part of the future of this club," Gullit said. "But he is like the cannons of Navarone. Ammunition must be given to him by other people, he can't do it by himself."

The manager, who has already shaken things up by comparing the club to a "nice watch that doesn't work", was preparing his players for the match at second-placed Aston Villa, a game that officially marks the beginning of his reign.