SOCCER:Manchester United are still waiting to receive a formal offer for unsettled striker Alan Smith.Although the wrangle over Carlos Tevez' proposed move to Old Trafford is heading for the High Court, United are working on the assumption the Argentina striker will join them before the August 31st transfer deadline.
Tevez' eventual arrival would cast a huge question mark over Smith's future, especially as Alex Ferguson admitted the limited number of games he would be able to offer the striker is likely to be a major problem. Middlesbrough are among a number of clubs to make an informal inquiry for Smith. In fact, contact with United by a number of parties has been frequent, the latest arriving in the form of a text to the phone of chief executive David Gill in China this morning.
However, so far, brief discussions have led to nothing concrete, leaving Smith to return from United's four-match Far East tour after today's concluding encounter with Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals not knowing where he will start the new campaign.
"As yet, we have not had any firm offers for Alan Smith," said Gill. "A couple of clubs have called to ask us about the situation and we received a text from someone else about it this morning . . . so far nothing has resulted from it."
The future of Giuseppe Rossi appears slightly more concrete. After scoring nine goals in an impressive 17-game spell with Parma, the Italy under-21 star has been attracting interest from a host of Serie A clubs. Like Smith, Rossi's first-team chances would be affected by Tevez' arrival.
Ferguson admitted last week he was in "a bit of a situation" regarding Rossi. But it appears there is a genuine desire to keep the 20-year-old at United. "Giuseppe is a player who has attracted interest, particularly from overseas but at the moment he is part of the team and that is how it will stay," said Gill.
United will hope security around tonight's game is an improvement on their training stint, when fans poured on to the perimeter running track, forcing Ferguson's men to make a hasty exit until order was restored.
Ferguson has already confirmed China international Dong Fangzhou will feature during the first half, while Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are certain to be given another chance to delight their adoring public. Ronaldo's fellow countryman Nani should also feature.
Ferguson has also confirmed Owen Hargreaves will play no part in the Far East tour. So far, Hargreaves, an €27 million summer signing from Bayern Munich, has not managed to join in a full training session because of tendinitis in his knee.
A week ago, Ferguson expressed doubt as to whether the 26-year-old England international would feature on tour - and now the Scot has confirmed he will definitely miss out.
There was better news about Paul Scholes - who was forced to fly home for tests on a knee injury he picked up in last week's win over FC Seoul. The former England star has received a more precise diagnosis, with Ferguson confirming Scholes will be missing for three weeks - a timescale which rules him out of the Premier League champions' opening games against Reading and Portsmouth but should leave him free for the Manchester derby at Eastlands on August 19th.
