Soccer Digest

Wenger charged:Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been charged with improper conduct by the English FA just four days after being fined £10,000 and severely censured by English soccer's governing body.

Wenger has been charged with improper conduct for his words and behaviour towards referee Steve Bennett and his linesmen at half-time during Arsenal's Premier League match against Portsmouth at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

The match ended in a 2-2 draw after Arsenal had trailed 2-0 in the second half. Arsenal conceded the first goal just before the interval when Bennett awarded the visitors a free-kick which led to Noe Pamarot putting Pompey ahead. Wenger said he believed the free-kick should have been awarded to Arsenal, not Portsmouth, and was subsequently sent to the stands for the second half. The Frenchman has until January 5th to respond to the charge.

Hunt waiting

Dundee United's Irish striker Noel Hunt is waiting to discover the extent of the injury he suffered when scoring a late winner in a 3-2 victory at Motherwell at the weekend. Hunt was carried off on a stretcher after securing an unlikely win for United.

Motherwell hope to announce the signing of Irish pair Trevor Molloy and Paul Keegan this week from St Patrick's Athletic.

McCulloch caught

Wigan midfielder Lee McCulloch has been charged with violent conduct by the English FA. McCulloch was caught by television cameras apparently punching Sheffield United captain Chris Morgan in the face towards the end of Wigan's 1-0 defeat to the Blades at the JJB Stadium on Saturday.

The FA have confirmed neither referee Peter Walton nor the other match officials saw the incident, which resulted in Morgan suffering cuts and a badly-swollen right eye. Morgan has already made it clear he is happy to forget the matter after McCulloch offered an apology and handshake immediately after the game. But the FA are unlikely to be so lenient with McCulloch, who has until 6pm today to respond to the charge, and who will face a Disciplinary Commission hearing on Thursday.

Howard's dilemma

Tim Howard believes he has been pushed a step closer to an exit from Manchester United by Edwin van der Sar's contract extension with the Old Trafford club. And the USA international, currently on a season-long loan at Everton, understands discussions about a permanent move to Goodison Park have already taken place.

"The contract is fantastic news for Edwin, I'd imagine United would be delighted to keep him for as long as he's fit," said the 26-year-old. "But it affects my mindset, of course. It's like a game of chess. United have made their move and it tells me what I need to do next. I don't do very well on the bench, to be honest. You need someone who accepts that position and doesn't rock the boat. It's not in my blood because I like a little bit of fire. Raimond van der Gouw was a fantastic deputy goalkeeper at United. He came in, did a job and shut his mouth. I don't think I am the type."

Beckham for Bolton?

Sam Allardyce believes Bolton should not be discounted as a possible destination if David Beckham decides to leave Real Madrid. "Bolton Wanderers would love to sign David Beckham, of course we would," Allardyce said. "In the past when that sort of name has been attached to this club, people considered it as something that was never going to happen.

"But cast your mind back to Youri Djorkaeff. People scoffed and said he would never come to play for Bolton, but he came. So did Bruno N'Gotty, Ivan Campo and Fernando Hierro - we've attracted some fabulous players to the club. I am not saying that is going to get us Beckham, but if it could, I would love it."

Fernandes too dear

Portsmouth's on-loan midfielder Manuel Fernandes will return to Benfica on January 2nd after the English club admitted they will not permanently sign him. It has emerged Benfica want £12 million for the 21-year-old who has won two full caps for Portugal, but the fee is far too high for the south coast club.

Striker Kanu has infuriated Portsmouth by saying he will quit Fratton Park for a better offer in January unless he is given an improvement on his current one-year deal. "Where was Kanu in the summer?" said manager Harry Redknapp. "He has done a great job for us but nobody else wanted him when he was available on a free transfer at West Brom."

In Brief . . .

The former Sweden striker Henrik Larsson (35) trained with Manchester United for the first time yesterday ahead of his loan on January 1st . . . West Ham striker Dean Ashton's comeback from a broken ankle could be delayed until February . . . Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has admitted he doesn't know how much money he will be given to strengthen his squad in January.