Brooking boosted by Ferdinand fitness report
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Your support makes all the difference.The West Ham United caretaker manager, Trevor Brooking, has had his hopes of saving the club from relegation from the Premiership boosted by the news that Les Ferdinand has not broken his leg.
The veteran striker was carried off on a stretcher during the Hammers' vital 1-0 win at Manchester City on Sunday, but the injury is not as serious as had been first thought. Brooking is even hoping Ferdinand that might be fit enough to being able to return for Saturday's crucial home game against Chelsea.
"Les went for an X-ray and he got the full clearance to travel back with us on crutches," Brooking said. "It is very bad bruising and a couple of cuts on the leg and I have not ruled him out for next weekend because I know the sort of character he is."
At the top of the table, Newcastle's hopes of securing Champions' League football for a second year running have not been helped by the news that Alan Shearer will not play again this season.
Shearer suffered a badly turned ankle, a broken knuckle and a gashed head during Saturday's 1-0 derby win at Sunderland and will miss Newcastle's remaining two games.
The Everton manager, David Moyes, will miss out on signing Michael Essien because the midfielder wants to play for one of the big clubs in his native France. Moyes has seen Essien in action and was quoted a £4m fee by his club, Bastia. But the 20-year-old plans to carry on his career in French football and join either Lyon or Marseilles.
Everton have recalled their England Under-21 international Peter Clarke from a loan spell at Port Vale to help their Uefa Cup qualification bid. The defender has been with the Second Division club for two months but has returned to Goodison because of the suspensions of Gary Naysmith and David Weir, following their red cards in the Merseyside derby defeat to Liverpool.
The West Bromwich Albion defender Darren Moore will learn this week the extent of the surgery he will require to repair knee ligament damage suffered in an accidental collision with the Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink last month.
Moore had an initial operation and for the past six weeks has been concentrating on strengthening and gaining some movement in his knee. He will see a specialist on Thursday.
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