Ferguson says Keane will face Bayern

Manchester United expect their captain Roy Keane to be fit and able to play in the Champions League against Bayern Munich in the Olympic Stadium next Tuesday, thereby undermining repeated suggestions that Keane requires immediate surgery on the right knee injury that has seen him miss United's last five matches.

Keane played for the full 90 minutes for the Republic of Ireland against Iran in Dublin on Saturday, having been ruled out of the previous five matches with United. But on Sunday afternoon Keane withdrew from the Republic squad due to travel to Iran on Monday morning with the Irish manager Mick McCarthy citing overnight stiffening. "He couldn't play two games in five days," said McCarthy.

Keane, who in Dublin had confessed to being "not happy with it", when referring to the injury, returned to United's Carrington training ground for treatment and came through it sufficiently well for Alex Ferguson to comment yesterday afternoon: "We expect Roy to be fit for the Bayern game and if he doesn't make it then I'll be disappointed.

"The problem for Ireland," said Ferguson, "was that the knee stiffened up after he played in the win against Iran on Saturday. He is still stiff now and he would not have been able to train until Thursday.

"It would have been a risk for them to have taken a player who was not 100 per cent fit in such an important game. Roy decided it was best to miss the second leg and get back for treatment. Hopefully he'll return for us against Bayern. He's getting there."

There is even the outside chance that if Keane comes through Thursday and Friday training that he could be available for United's home Premiership match against Leicester City on Saturday. That, however, may be as premature as some of the stories saying that Keane needs an operation, though in the long-term that seems to be a certainty.

Talks aimed at averting a players' strike in England ended last night without a solution to the often acrimonious dispute. The chief executives of the three English footballing bodies attended a meeting at the headquarters of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) in Manchester to try to hammer out a deal in the row over the distribution of television cash.

The parties will return tomorrow for another meeting, where the presence of Football Association chief executive Adam Crozier could be significant. Crozier took the lead role ahead of Richard Scudamore and David Burns, chief executives of the Premier League and Football League respectively, in commenting after last night's meeting and his diplomatic skills could be vital in the negotiations ahead.

Taylor, who revealed that there had been no improved offer to the PFA, said: "There was a lot more respect from their side. We were able to go through the problems we have had. In the past there have been a lot of things said by them which shouldn't have been said and have only served to stiffen our resolve."

Southampton have completed the signing of Ecuador striker Agustin Delgado from Mexico's Necaxa for £3.5 million sterling. Gordon Strachan's third acquisition since replacing Stuart Gray as manager should add some much-needed firepower.

There were doubts about Delgado's fitness, but after a minor operation the 27-year-old will be available once he has fully recovered. He has scored 29 international goals in just 42 appearances for Ecuador.

Bordeaux owner Nicolas de Tavernost is seeking compensation from Soccer Australia for the injury suffered by striker Christophe Dugarry in France's friendly in Melbourne on Sunday. Dugarry is expected to be out for at least two months with knee ligament damage after Kevin Muscat's 56th-minute challenge left him writhing in agony.

Manchester City manager Kevin Keegan believes Frenchman Christian Negouai is his most exciting signing to arrive at Maine Road this season. The 23-year-old, who had a three-day trial at Maine Road last week, became Keegan's eighth signing, for £1.5 million sterling, yesterday after he agreed a four-and-a-half-year deal.

Keegan said: "Christian can be whatever you want a midfielder to be. He is big, strong, is an excellent ball winner and he can play."