Jonathan Woodgate is unlikely to make his Real Madrid debut this season after tests on his injured left thigh showed it is several months from being healed. Woodgate, right, whose £13.4m transfer from Newcastle to Real last August was completed only after a three-hour medical, has not played competitive football since he sustained the injury against Chelsea at St James’ Park last April. ‘The results are going to be sent to various doctors,’ confirmed Alfonso del Corral, Real’s medical specialist. The England international was due to make his long-awaited Real Madrid debut last October, but broke down again in training and was sent to the United States for keyhole surgery. ‘I don’t want to set a comeback date,’ said Woodgate. ‘The main thing is I recover properly’
Kleberson transfer falls through
Manchester United midfielder Kleberson, 25, will not be joining Corinthians of Brazil after the clubs failed to agree terms. Kleberson, a World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002, joined United for £6m from Atletico Paranaense in August 2003, but has failed to win a first-team place at Old Trafford. His agent and godfather, Marcos Antonio Silva, said: ‘Manchester didn’t accept MSI’s offer and there was not an agreement with the player for his salary.’ MSI, the investment group that controls Corinthians, had offered about £1.6m
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Souness backs Bramble
Newcastle manager Graeme Souness is happy to keep Titus Bramble in the centre of defence for today’s FA Cup visit of Chelsea, despite the player’s wobble in Thursday’s Uefa Cup tie, which allowed hosts Heerenveen to take the lead. ‘Titus has been our best player in the last half-dozen games,’ said Souness. ‘That’s part and parcel of being a professional footballer. I have got no intention of sitting down with him specifically, like I didn ’t when he’s been the best player in our team. It’s a long, hard season and you should be judged on a season, not a one-off game. Titus is a young man who has a bright future’
Newcastle v Chelsea, today, Sky Sports 1, 3.30pm, ko 4pm
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Vote for Bobby Moore to bridge Wembley’s gap
The London Development Agency is looking for a suitable name for its new state-of-the-art footbridge at Wembley, which will link the national stadium with the town centre. The footbridge, left, has been designed by Marks Bardfield, the London Eye architects, and the idea is to call it after ‘the most significant name or moment in Wembley Stadium’s history’. The LDA is inviting suggestions on its official website, but, unsurprisingly, Scottish football fans have been quick to flood the site with the name of Jim Baxter, whose heroics helped beat Sir Alf Ramsey’s world champions in 1967. Not to be outdone, Wales rugby fans have chipped in with centre Scott Gibbs, who scored a match-winning try on the hallowed turf in 1999. England fans have until March 15 to log what should be the winning entry, Bobby Moore, at www.lda.gov.uk/wembley — not that this column is trying to influence you in any way
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Doyle in at the deep end
Teenager Colin Doyle will make a dream debut for Nottingham Forest today against Tottenham at White Hart Lane in the FA Cup fifth round. Doyle, 19, is on loan at Forest from Birmingham and has made just one senior appearance in his fledgling career, on loan at Chester this season, keeping a clean sheet against Rochdale in the LDV Vans Trophy. He will now attempt to do the same against the likes of Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane. ‘I played in an LDV game earlier in the season but that doesn’t really compare with this, does it?’ said the youngster. ‘I’m sure there’ll be some butterflies in my stomach but I can cope with that.’ Gary Megson, the Forest manager, added: ‘He’s just going to get chucked straight in there and it’ll be sink or swim. We just have to hope he’ll come through it, but he’s a confident lad’
Tottenham v Nottingham Forest, today, kick-off 3pm