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Over the last 20 years the Premier League has been blessed with players who just have that bit more about them than the average customer. From the hard tacklers to the quirky personalities, the Premier League has been blessed with entertainers, now let’s look at the top ten Premier League characters.

10. Craig Bellamy

Love him or loathe him, Craig Bellamy is undoubtedly one of the biggest characters in the Premier League. A tremendously talented football player, who certainly has not achieved what his ability allowed for, unfortunately Bellamy has too often fallen foul of disciplinary action or injury limiting his playing time. The late Sir Bobby Robson labelled him the ‘gobbiest’ player he had ever worked with. Bellamy’s most controversial incident perhaps came in 2007 when he allegedly confronted John Arne Riise with a golf club before an away game at Barcelona. Bellamy was fined £80,000 by the club but made amends as both the Welshman and Riise scored in a 2-1 victory.

9. Stuart Pearce

Positively nuts in his commitment to the cause, his nickname ‘Psycho’ tells half the story. Stuart Pearce gave everything for club and country throughout his career and was an outstanding left back. Perhaps best remembered for his penalty miss for England against Germany at Italia 90, and subsequent penalty he scored at Euro 1996 against Spain, Pearce embodied passion on the football pitch. Kevin Keegan once stated that Pearce ‘emerged, running out of the mist, wearing nothing but a pair of underpants and a towel wrapped round his head. That’s why they call him Psycho.’

8. David Luiz

For the Sideshow Bob hair alone, David Luiz deserves his place on this list. Yet, there is so much more to the Brazilian. Maybe it’s his recent habit of ‘giving luck’ to teammates in a pre match ritual by touching their foreheads, eyes closed in concentration. Maybe it’s that he is disturbingly attacking centre back, indeed Luiz is more likely to be found on a bamboozling run down the left wing than he is to be making a last ditch tackle. Or maybe it’s that he cannot seem to take life too seriously, indeed his post match interview with Fernando Torres and Frank Lampard is comedy gold. Luiz will need to cut the mistakes from his game if he is remain a cult hero to Chelsea fans, but currently for the neutral he is a joy to watch.

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7. Paolo Di Canio

An enigma, Paolo Di Canio made headlines throughout his time in the Premier League. It was at Sheffield Wednesday that the Italian started his career in English football and it was not long before he courted controversy, with Di Canio fined and suspended for 11 games after he pushed referee Paul Alcock to the ground. Di Canio moved to West Ham and was consistently one of the Hammers best players in his time at the club, two moments in particular stand out. His scissor kick volley against Wimbledon in 2000 and his outstanding act of fair play against Everton in 2001. Against Everton Di Canio snubbed an open goal, catching the ball from a cross after Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard had went down injured. Di Canio was awarded a FIFA Fair Play Award for the incident.

6. Dennis Wise

At five foot 6 Dennis Wise was hardly one of the Premier League’s intimidating players, yet Wise was not one to shirk a battle in centre midfield. Sir Alex Ferguson once stated that Wise ‘could start a fight in an empty house’, he was probably right. Wise amassed 65 yellow and 5 red cards in the Premier League and was never far from trouble. Wise was convicted of assaulting a taxi driver in 1995 and was sacked by Leicester following breaking teammate Callum Davidson’s jaw. Despite his dirty side, Wise was extremely successful as captain in his time at Chelsea, winning two FA Cups, a League Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup.

5. Joey Barton

Is Joey Barton the most outspoken player in the Premier League today? Many would argue that he is, with Twitter a valuable tool at the disposal of the opinionated Mancunian who has over 800,000 followers. Barton has never been far from controversy, publicly denouncing those selected for the England squad on numerous occasions in the belief that he himself should be in the squad, yet thus far Barton has amassed just one cap for English. Barton has spent time in prison and his career at Manchester City was brought to an end following a training ground assault on teammate Ousmane Dabo. Despite these poor marks on his character, Barton is undoubtedly one of the biggest characters in today’s game.

4. Eric Cantona

A unique specimen of a footballer, Eric Cantona will forever be looked back upon as one of the best players and biggest characters to grace the Premier League. His time in English football saw him win five league titles in 6 seasons and he was twice voted PFA Player of the Year. Cantona oozed arrogance on the pitch; he really was a class apart. Unfortunately Cantona may be remembered best for his assault on a fan at Crystal Palace, in the infamous Kung Fu kick incident. Perhaps even more bizarre was his press conference regarding the incident, where Cantona stated, ‘When the seagulls follow the trawler, it’s because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. Thank you very much’ before getting up to leave.

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3. Roy Keane

The most successful captain in Manchester United’s history, Roy Keane gave everything to the cause in the heart of midfield. Keane spent 12 years at Old Trafford, 8 of which were spent as captain. He was the definition of box-to-box midfielder both scoring goals and contributing defensively. It was Keane’s leadership and questionable disciplinary record that earn him his place in this countdown however. On the one hand, Keane’s never say die attitude was his best quality, on the other it was his worst. He held a long standing rivalry with Arsenal’s Patrick Vieira which led to numerous confrontations between the pair. It will be his knee high tackle on Alf Inge Haaland that many remember him for though, a tackle that Keane talked about in his autobiography as premeditated.

2. Vinnie Jones

Football’s archetypal hard man, Vinnie Jones has even fashioned out his post football career on the image he obtained during his playing days. In 7 Premier League seasons Jones managed 7 red cards and 39 yellows. Amongst Jones’ honours is the record for the quickest yellow card, when Jones’ was cautioned after just 3 seconds playing for Chelsea back in 1992. A better player than many would admit, Jones spent his career at the top with Wimbledon, Leeds, Sheffield United and Chelsea. In 1998 Jones’ appeared in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and as they say the rest is history, with Jones since appearing in numerous films.

1. Mario Balotelli

What can be said about ‘Super Mario’ Balotelli that has not already been said? The striker is clearly a top class footballer but his behaviour both on the field and off it is notoriously erratic. Balotelli endured a torrid relationship with Jose Mourinho before reuniting with first boss Roberto Mancini at Manchester City. Since joining City Balotelli’s notable exploits include confronting a school bully after asking why a young City fan was not in school, giving £1,000 to a homeless man following a trip to the casino, throwing darts at youth team players at the clubs training ground and becoming the face of a fireworks safety campaign following a fire in his home, cause by, you guessed it – fireworks. At just 21 suppose Balotelli will continue to astound, indeed as the planner for City’s Christmas do, expect the unexpected.

Do you agree with the top 10? Comment to me on Twitter @CamHumphries 

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Arsenal legends don’t come much bigger than Tony Adams. The defender played for the Gunners for two decades and won four First Division / Premier League titles during his time at the club. Here’s Adams talking about playing under Arsene Wenger, the move to bring Jens Lehmann back to the club and Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League title this season…

What is your view of the work Arsene Wenger has done at Arsenal in the last 15 years?

He’s been phenomenal, he’s a great man, and he’s a lovely man. Very honest, honest with his players. Physiology is his strength and he’s just been a revolution for Arsenal. You’re talking to a big fan of Arsene Wenger, he was brilliant for me.

Has he been a big influence on your coaching style?

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Well there are many influences. In life, you are what you learn and he’s certainly taught me a great deal. The answer to whether I have actually used it yet at the clubs that I have worked at is, probably not to be completely honest with you. He’s a fantastic physiologist in my opinion, that’s his strength. I’ve been at clubs where that side of the game is not really used. I had technically gifted young players at Feyenoord but I wasn’t really in control of their diets and their physiology. But yes of course he has been an influence.

Do you think this current Arsenal squad can win major silverware?

During the winter break I went back there for the game against Manchester City and I did a couple of interviews and I honestly thought the League Cup was the one for them this season to start the ball rolling. Unfortunately they missed out on that one; I’d like to see them win a trophy soon.

What do you make of the re-signing of Jens Lehmann?

Well I’m thinking of getting the boots back on! I think Jens is a fantastic goalkeeper. I know they’ve got some injuries there including to young Wojciech Szczesny who I like. Arsene needs cover in the goal keeping position and I see the logic in bringing Jens Lehman back.

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Who do you think will win this season’s Barclays Premier League title?

My heart says the Arsenal of course but my head says United, they’ve just got too many players who’ve won it before. When you have done it and you’ve crossed the line, you know when to peak and when not to peak and when to win games. Once you’ve done it once, you know when to step up to the plate.

Visit the Dugout www.yahoo.co.uk/dugout for new interviews every week with England’s top football managers

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When Tottenham signed Jonathan Woodgate in 2008 it looked like a gamble that would pay off. Having resurrected his career with two relatively injury-free seasons at his boyhood club Middlesborough, the £8m Spurs paid for him seemed like money well spent. His first season at White Hart Lane saw him secure a pivotal role in the Spurs’ defence, carrying on where he left off at Boro, with assured performances, but more importantly, plenty of them. A goal in the Carling Cup Final against Chelsea capped off a man-of-the-match performance and an impressive start to his Spurs career, and it appeared that the previous injury problems that had crippled his career were behind him. However, the last twelve months have been an ugly reminder of what Woodgate is up against.

Since breaking into the Leeds team with Alan Smith, Lee Bowyer et al, Woodgate’s quality has been there for all to see. A centre half who managed to balance strong tackling and good aerial ability, with a more graceful art to passing and bringing the ball out of defence, he was constantly tipped to go onto success, not only with his club, but also with England.

In the eleven years since he made his England debut, he has managed just 8 caps. A frightening statistic when you consider the ability that he has. Still, it’s only one less than the 9 appearances he managed in his two and a half year stint at Real Madrid.

The £13m that Real Madrid paid Newcastle for him raised eyebrows. Woodgate hadn’t been able to play regularly for Newcastle due to a cocktail of injuries, but his style of play suited the Spanish giants and a fully fit Woodgate may well have been exactly what they needed at the time – some added steel, but with some flair thrown in. So few English players play abroad and when he completed the move there was a genuine sense of fans wishing him well, and hoping he could succeed at such a big club. Real would have taken his history with injuries into account but even they would have hoped for more than the nine games that he managed.

For Tottenham, this is becoming all too repetitive. As well as Bassong and Dawson have played, Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate would be one of the classiest centre-back pairings the Premiership has ever seen, and yet they have had such little opportunity to form a relationship because of the injuries that they have suffered. Even with his chronic knee problems, King managed 21 games last season; the total lack of training in between appearances meant that his quality performances were bordering on the freakish. For Woodgate however, he managed just the three games. For someone on £50k per week, Spurs can only wait for so long.

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Watching England’s backline getting torn apart in South Africa only highlighted a lack of complete defenders produced by this country. John Terry isn’t as bad as some have you believe, yet his lack of pace was horribly exposed. Matthew Upson is solid without being spectacular, but maybe out of depth at international level. Maybe if Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate had had two seasons of playing week in, week out, alongside each other, who’s to say that wouldn’t have been Fabio Capello’s preferred pairing.

In a position that lacks depth in this country, Woodgate is a classic example of ‘what might have been’. Harry Redknapp can’t envisage registering him for the upcoming season unless there is a drastic improvement in the player’s recovery. That would mean he would be out until January at the earliest, and with King’s fitness a constant issue, Redknapp may well have to bring in another centre-half. The fact that so many managers have taken a chance on him simply shows the quality he has, but now on the wrong side of 30, the stifled career of a highly gifted player hangs in the balance.

Yohan Cabaye was the hero for Newcastle as they left it late once again to beat Wigan 1-0 at St James’ Park and stretch their unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions.

The Frenchman was on hand 10 minutes from time to curl a sublime effort into the top corner at the Gallowgate End to keep the Magpies in fourth place whilst Roberto Martinez’s Latics stay in the Premier League relegation zone after their sixth defeat on the trot. It could have been so different for the visitors who were bright in the first half keeping Newcastle at bay with some resolute defending. They should have opened the scoring early on with Victor Moses’ fierce half volley from just inside the area superbly tipped wide by Tim Krul after four minutes. Confidence levels were boosted by that as they continued to frustrate the hosts with some resolute defending as they went close to breaking the deadlock again only for Hugo Rodallega to flash his shot wide of Krul’s near post on the quarter hour mark. That was a wake up call for the Geordies who took a foothold in the game from then on but just couldn’t turn their high percentage of possession into goals. Their best chance of the half fell to Leon Best but the Republic of Ireland strikers angled header from a Jonas Gutierrez cross was acrobatically parried away by Ali Al Habsi in the visitors goal. Ryan Taylor then curled a free kick narrowly wide as the home side pushed for a opener before Best found himself lucky to still be on the field after wild tackle on Maynor Figueroa resulted in a yellow card.

Magpies Boss Alan Pardew recognised the need for an extra dash of creativity and responded by taking Best off and throwing Hatem Ben Arfa on for the second half playing just off Demba Ba. It paid off almost instantly with the Frenchman’s movement allowing Taylor to find space and swing a cross over from the left with Ba meeting the ball with a downward header that was saved on the line by Al Habsi. That seemed to wake Wigan from their slumber and they almost broke the deadlock through Rodallega again with the Colombian collecting Figuero’s long punt only to smash the ball into the side netting. Still it was Newcastle who looked the more likely to score and Ben Arfa almost did just that but Al Habsi was equal to his fiercely struck shot as the Toon Army supporters started to become restless.

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Their grumbles turned to cheers just minutes later though as Cabaye struck to notch is first goal for the club since his move from Lille in the summer. Again Taylor was afforded plenty of room to swing in a cross that found substitute Sylvaine Marveaux with the winger taking a neat touch and laying it off to Cabaye to bend a right footed effort away from Al Habsi and into the top corner to send the Geordie faithful wild. However celebrations should have been short lived as Wigan went on the offensive and any touch to Moses’ low cross across the face of goal would have resulted in an equaliser. Fortunately for the Magpies they held on claim yet another three points and maintain their impressive start to season.

This piece has obviously been prompted by the Carling Cup debacle that was Obafemi Martins’ shock winner for Birmingham on Sunday, that much is clear, but I may profess to having been in possession of some lingering doubts over Laurent Koscielny’s long-term suitability to a club challenging for the Premier League title for quite some time now. I may, of course, come to eat these words in the future, but will Koscielny prove an astute buy for the club? Or is he destined to never fulfil his potential?

Arsenal threw away the Carling Cup in a way it seems only Arsenal are capable of these days. Many have blamed the young Polish goalkeeper with the unpronounceable name, Wocjiech Szczesny for the error that gifted Birmingham their winner, yet the French centre-half, the subject of this piece, is equally as culpable in my opinion.

Szczesny may be responsible for a rudimentary failure to communicate his presence to Koscielny and also of an element of poor handling ability, yet few goalkeepers would expect an established defender to botch a clearance as poorly as Koscielny unquestionably did.

Koscielny is most definitely a talented defender. His exemplary performance against Barcelona in this season’s Champions League first leg tie alone should be seen as proof of this. Yet his calamitous and highly-publicised error against Birmingham City in the Carling Cup final only serves to highlight the soft underbelly that currently resides within this supremely talented Arsenal squad.

Man Utd have stumbled through the season barely breaking out of second gear. The fact that they haven’t needed to so far is as much a testament to their know-how in the art of winning as it is to their rivals deficiencies. This Arsenal side, for all its qualities, just doesn’t know how to win when it matters most yet and it’s a skill you have to acquire over years of success; something Man Utd seem to rely upon more than anything these days, their ability to grind out results.

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Koscielny looks to be a vulnerable target in the air for me. He’s fairly quick on the deck and good with the ball at his feet, as you might expect from an Arsene Wenger signing. However, the club’s finest player at centre-half this season, in the absence of the deeply missed Thomas Vermaelen, has been Johan Djourou. Sebastien Squillaci has looked a weak link in the side when he’s played and he’s been usurped recently by the Swiss centre-half Djourou. The chopping and changing nature of his partner probably hasn’t helped Koscielny adjust as quickly as he had hoped it has to be said.

The French defender has also had to deal with two suspensions for sending offs against Liverpool and Newcastle this term and a few niggling injuries along the way, something which may have contributed in some way to affecting his adjustment to the English game and his heretofore inconsistent performances.

The return of Thomas Vermaelen to the side may be exactly what Koscielny needs; a stewarding presence beside him. But if we went on the merits of this season’s performances alone, then in my opinion, it would be Djourou that deserved to play alongside the Belgian at the heart of defence and not Koscielny, as his performance against Barcelona has proved to be the exception rather than the rule throughout the course of his debut season so far. The similar styles of Vermaelen and Koscielny may also put Wenger off playing them together in the immediate future.

He arrived somewhat under the radar this summer for a fee in the region of £8m from French second division side FC Lorient. It’s worth noting though that some players simply take more time to adjust to the rigours of the English game than others and at just 25 years of age, he does admittedly have time on his side. May I reiterate that this article hasn’t been written solely with the intention of putting down a player after a high-profile error, merely that it was the catalyst for some long-held views on the player.

The one area that Arsenal still look weak is at the back. The goalkeeping debate shows no signs of abating in the near future, and Koscielny’s gaffe, the one which all but ended Arsenal’s hopes of ending their six-year wait without a trophy, in the immediate future at least, mean that the debate about the need to strengthen at centre half is sure to rumble on well into the summer.

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It was a bad mistake, there’s no getting away from the fact that it was; but players at the back are always likely to be thrust into the limelight for making them due to the nature of the position and we can‘t judge him on that alone. But I do doubt and have done for some time now, the longevity to the Koscielny signing. He simply doesn’t look like the solution to Arsenal’s propensity to capitulate at the back.

He looks very much like a player still finding his feet in the English game, and while I wouldn’t go as far as to claim that the jury is still out on Koscielny‘s ability, I’d argue that when Vermaelen returns, Wenger may have a very different partner in mind for the Belgian than Koscielny.

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Jamie Carragher would not be surprised if Fabio Capello kept faith with Robert Green for England's second Group C game against Algeria on Friday.

The West Ham United goalkeeper has been slated for his dreadful error that handed the USA their equalising goal in the 1-1 draw against Capello's men.

However, Carragher, who came on as a half-time substitute for the injured Ledley King, has praised Green and backed him to turn in a solid display against Algeria, who lost their first game 1-0 to Slovenia on Sunday.

"Before the game, if you'd asked me, I'd have said Rob Green is playing," said the Liverpool stalwart."I think he's played nearly every international coming into the tournament.

"For me I always thought Robert Green was going to start because he was always the first-choice pick.

"I'm not sure what he'll do in the next game but I was always sure, if I was going to play in the game, that Rob Green would be behind me.

"I've seen him this morning and he looks fine.

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"I'm sure Fabio Capello will be fine as well. He's been manager of Real Madrid and AC Milan.

"I know we talk about the pressure of managing England but speaking to some of the Spanish players I think Real Madrid is another topic altogether."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Diego Maradona is planning a sensational bid to bring Carlos Tevez to Dubai club Al Wasl and put an end to the strikers Manchester nightmare according to talkSPORT.

The Argentina international is currently suspended at the Etihad Stadium after his refusal to come on as a substitute against Bayern Munich in last weeks Champions League game and has held meetings with officials investigating the incident.

City boss Roberto Mancini has stated he will never consider the troublesome striker for selection whilst he is in charge and it looks as if Tevez could be on his way out sooner rather than later.

Despite only joining City in 2009 the 27-year-old has been hankering for a move away from the club for some time and Maradona is considering making a move to bring his fellow countryman to the Far East.

Since becoming Al Wasl manager earlier this year the South American legend has been desperate to turn his new side into the top club in the United Arab Emirates having failed to win a title since 2007.

Backed by wealthy investment  of Sheikh Ahmed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum the 50-year-old manager is positive the club can put together a package that would adhere to Tevez’s demands and give him and his family a chance to start a new life in Dubai.

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With rumours resurfacing that Michael Owen looks all but set to depart from Old Trafford in the summer after his latest injury setback, it begs the question, has the former Liverpool player’s move to bitter rivals Man Utd been one of the most short-sighted, worst thought-out transfers in recent memory?

Now this article isn’t concerned with the expectations that Man Utd fans may have had upon signing Owen. For his 96th minute winner in the Manchester Derby alone, he’s ensured that he’s been worth all the bother. No, it’s simply more to do with the expectation, or relative lack thereof, that Owen has for himself nowadays as the extent that his own personal drive and ambition can be called into question.

Since crossing the bitter divide, Owen has featured in 42 games for Man Utd across all competitions spread over two seasons, but just 15 of these have come as a starter, with just 6 of those starts coming in the league. Surely at just 31 years of age, it’s too early for Owen to be content with a life of semi-retirement on the Man Utd bench?

He was signed by Man Utd to add both experience and strength in depth to the forward line. Form the clubs point of view, they have more than got their worth out of the Owen deal, especially considering that he arrived on a free transfer. But with just 15 starts across all competitions in nearly two seasons, it’s clear that Owen is on the end of a raw deal and he is now quite comfortably the club’s fourth-choice striker behind Dimitar Berbatov, Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez – a situation that shows no signs of changing any time soon.

If you analyse the club’s results when Owen has been in the side and where his starts have come from and it becomes abundantly clear that he was never destined to figure too dominantly in Ferguson’s plans. Starts last season came against the likes of Burnley, Bolton, Wolves, Hull and Fulham and only serve to highlight the calibre of side that he was brought in to play against. His four starts this season have come against Chelsea in the Community Shield, Scunthorpe in the Carling Cup, Southampton in the FA Cup and Sunderland in the Premier League, a game in which he was withdrawn at half-time – hardly big fixtures for the club and they show Owen’s lack of importance to the first-team.

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Owen arrived at the club full of vigour, seemingly certain that as he entered the autumn seasons of his career, that he would be able to rekindle any international ambitions that he may still have harboured, while at the same time becoming a pivotal member in Man Utd’s assault on the league, sadly though, this has not turned out to be the case and he has been reduced to a role on the periphery.

You’d certainly think  that for a player, who was undoubtedly the best British striker of his generation, that with opportunities severely limited at Old Trafford, that he‘d at least consider a move to a club slightly further down the league in an attempt to secure more first-team football. Well you would be wrong.

Back in October, Owen seemingly ruled out moving to any perceived ‘smaller club’ when questioned on what he’d do if he wasn’t offered a new deal at Man Utd stating that “I don’t feel my game is ideally suited to a team that is struggling. Whether I want to be dropping down to a poorer Premier League team, I don’t know. But I won’t be dropping down leagues.” Whether this is either arrogant or simply just an acknowledgment of his own limitations I‘ll leave that for you decide, but to narrow your options so severely seems a tad rash in my view.

Talk has been rife that Owen may even retire from football at the end of this campaign, perhaps with a Premier League winner’s medal in tow, such is his disillusionment with the situation he currently finds himself in – which if it turned out to be the case, would be a monumental waste of his predatory talents. He genuinely still has something to offer. The intelligence that he showed in his short stinit as a withdrawn forward in Kevin Keegan’s three-pronged attack at Newcastle only shows that Owen has a lot more to his game these days than people give him credit for.

Injuries have played their part during his time at Man Utd, as they have done throughout his career, but his choice to join Utd, while entirely understandable at the time, may come back to haunt him. You could even go as far as to question the wisdom of Owen’s respective moves throughout his club career.

Should he leave Man Utd in the summer, an increasingly likely possibility now, Owen’s time at Old Trafford will not be regarded as a bad piece of business from anyone involved at the club, but for Owen, from a personal perspective, it has gone poorly. The move intended to revitalise his England career all but ended it.

Owen’s performance in the Carling Cup final last season was a microcosm of his career to date thus far and with it, his time at Utd too. Practically anonymous until the 12th minute, whereupon racing onto a through ball, Owen finished with aplomb. He left the field injured just half an hour after scoring with a hamstring injury – a defect that has plagued him throughout his entire career. He cut a frustrated figure, and one does feel a degree of sympathy for a player unable to play to the best of his ability for the majority of his career.

The fact remains, when all sentiment is put aside and feelings of betrayal begin to subside on the part of Liverpool fans, Owen will be regarded as a great international player, but rather oddly, a player that never fully realised his true potential at club level.

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His move to Man Utd may have paid off for the club, albeit in a stop-gap capacity, where his tally of 9 goals across all competitions last season more than justified his acquisition. However, from the player’s perspective, the move has prompted little more than the onset of premature retirement and his decision to join Man Utd can be said to have been most unwise and short-term in it’s vision on Owen’s part.

The likes of Everton and Aston Villa are said to be interested in pursuing Owen in the summer, but such is the unpredictability of Owen’s club career to date, that any such rumours should be treated with a degree of suspicion. Owen has previous form when it comes to surprisingly ill-thought out transfers, and as the former England striker enters a fork in the road; a crossroads in his career, he will have to ask himself just how much desire and personal ambition that he still retains – if he continues to play fourth-fiddle at Old Trafford for a further season, therein lies your answer.

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Everton have completed the signing of the former Leeds United striker Jermaine Beckford on a four-year deal.

The 26-year-old moves to Goodison Park after being released from his contract with the West Yorkshire side last week.

Beckford scored 31 goals for Simon Grayson's side last season as Leeds secured promotion from League One.

He scored the crucial second goal on the last day of the campaign against Bristol Rovers as ten-man Leeds won 2-1 to seal second spot behind Norwich City.

Beckford also scored the only goal of the game at Old Trafford in January as Leeds knocked Manchester United out of the FA Cup.

The prolific forward was at Chelsea as a youngster but drifted into non-league football with Wealdstone before reviving his career at Elland Road, that included loan spells at Carlisle United and Scunthorpe United.

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Beckford was linked with a move to Everton in January when it was widely reported that he had signed a pre-contract agreement with David Moyes' side while agreeing to stay at Leeds until the end of the season.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Joe Hart and Daniel Sturridge have pulled out of England’s squad for Wednesday’s international friendly against Italy, the FA have confirmed.

The Three Lions face the side that eliminated them from Euro 2012 in Switzerland in midweek, but will be without two members of Roy Hodgson’s experimental squad and will not call up replacements.

Hart did not feature in Manchester City’s 3-2 triumph over Chelsea in the Community Shield on Sunday, and has withdrawn due to a back strain.

This means that either Jack Butland or John Ruddy will make their international debut against Cesare Prandelli’s men.

Sturridge has been competing for Team GB this summer in the Olympics, but has also been forced to miss the game due to a toe injury.

It is not known whether Hart and Sturridge will be fit for the new Premier League season that starts next weekend.

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By Gareth McKnight

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