A round-up of other soccer news in brief

Mourinho has no interest in taking flight from Inter

OUTSPOKEN Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho played down speculation about his future yesterday after one of the most difficult weeks in his first season in Italy.

The Portuguese launched a wide ranging attack on his rivals and referees on Tuesday and now faces an Italian federation charge after shocking Serie A and angering fellow managers with the severity of his words.

"In football you never know. You could stay two, three, four, five years, it depends on everything," he told a news conference when asked if he had considered leaving Italy because of the furore. But I'm certainly not working so that another coach can come in."

Champions and league leaders Inter drew 3-3 with AS Roma last weekend when striker Mario Balotelli was accused of diving to win a penalty, prompting Mourinho to defend his player.

Inter also lost 3-0 to Sampdoria in the Italian Cup semi-final first leg during the week.

Torres looks good for Real return

FERNANDO Torres is winning his race to be fit in time for Liverpool’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid on Tuesday.

Torres picked up an ankle injury in the 1-0 first-leg victory of the last-16 clash with the Spanish champions and has not played since. But manager Rafael Benitez is confident that the striker will be involved in the battle to reach the quarter-finals.

And there is a good chance that full-back Alvaro Arbeloa will also have recovered from a hamstring injury to face Real.

Benitez said: “Fernando is improving but it is still too soon to say if he will be fit. He is working hard with the physios and we now have two or three more training sessions before we have to make a decision.

“I think he can be close but each player is different. We just have to wait and see. Arbeloa is much the same as Torres.”

Another player fighting to regain fitness in time for the second leg is Daniel Agger, who has a back problem. Benitez added: “It will be harder for Agger but he too is working hard with the physios. All three could be close.”

Double delight for on-form Everton

DAVID Moyes was yesterday named the English Premier League’s manager of the month for February.

Everton have lost just one of their past 16 games and face Middlesbrough in the FA Cup quarter-finals at Goodison Park tomorrow.

It was a double celebration on one side of Merseyside yesterday as centre-back Phil Jagielka’s good form was also recognised with the player of the month award.

And while Moyes was pleased with his own honours, he believes it more an indication of the efforts of his players. “Of course I am pleased with the recognition,” he said. “But it is not for me; it is the players who have done their jobs.”

Ferreira out for rest of season

CHELSEA full-back Paulo Ferreira has been ruled out for the rest of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The Portuguese is the third Chelsea player to suffer the knee problem this season, with Joe Cole and Michael Essien also affected by it.

Ferreira has only been on the fringes of the first team this season, starting just one Premier League game and appearing as a substitute in a further six.