VAN NISTELROOY

DEAL ON STILL!

CANNES: PSV Eindhoven are resigned to the fact that Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy will join Manchester United at some point - hut arc refusing to put a time scale on the deal.

The transfer was on the point

RUUD VAN NISTELROOY of being completed last season before \an Nistelrooy. 21. picked up a serious knee injury.

I Ie has not played sim <. but PSV director Peter Fossen insisted Wednesday his rehabilitation was proceeding well.

Fossen, in Cannes for the Football Expo trade fair, said: "Wc are an exporter of players and we know that Ruud van Nistelrooy will probably go to Manchestet United al some time.

"He is doing very well with his fitness, but he has not played at all yet. 1 think it's very Important (hat we do not stress the exact moment when he will make a comeback."

The original deal agreed between United and PSV in April last

year was 18 million pounds (26.3 million dollars) for the striker.

The move fell apart when first United postponed the deal due to worries over a nagging knee injury. Three days later he suffered a very serious cruciate knee ligament injury.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been keeping tabs on (he striker’s progress, and has said he would still like to sign him providing he makes a full recovery. COPOLLA BI ASTS

DUBAI

DUBAI: Diego Maradona's manager on Wednesday dubbed as shameful the treatment of the Argentine football legend over an aborted visit to the Gulf emirate ol Dubai to play in a lucrative testimonial match.

"Diego is not responsible for any of the mistakes and cancellations and wants to make it very clear that he was always willing and ready to come io Dubai," said Guillermo Coppola. Maradona's manager for the past 16 years.

"This is a shameful way io treat somebody as famous as Diego." Coppola told Gulf News.

Maradona. 40, has failed to fly into Dubai to seal (he contraci to play in the testimonial on four different dales, leading to the cancellation of VIP aiiline seals for him. his wife and manager, as well as VIP limousines anil luxury hotel

Organisers ol the March 8 testimonial for a retired Emiratl international said they had now set (heir sights on other stars io fill the bools of Mtnadona. who has been caricatured as a pot-bellied Cuban cigar smoker in an Emirati paper.

An official of ihe host Hull Mo--hammad Abdul Karim lalfar insisted that 1990 World Cup win-

ning captain Lolhai Matthaus of Germany, 1995 FIFA World Player of the Year George Weah of Liberia and Croatian striker Davor Suker, who top scored at the 1998 World Cup, were ready to play in the money-spinning match.

Jalfar added: "The infantile promises of the Argentinian player have made us lose our credibility and have embarrassed us in front of everybody."

He added he was fed up with arranging things with the player who could then not be relied upon.