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Your support makes all the difference.Paolo Di Canio once said that the only way he would leave West Ham was "if the chairman or the manger kick my ass away". Last night the West Ham manager, Glenn Roeder, was making strenuous efforts to keep his captain at Upton Park despite mounting evidence the Italian striker was deep in negotiations with Manchester United.
Although Roeder denied there had been any direct contact between the two clubs, Di Canio's agent, Matteo Roggi, is believed to have met representatives from the champions yesterday. At 33 years old, Di Canio is hardly a long-term proposition for Sir Alex Ferguson and given the success of Ruud van Nistelrooy, he would be only a bit-part player in their attempt to regain the European Cup and win a fourth successive championship.
Nevertheless, with Andy Cole sold to Blackburn, Di Canio would prove ideal short-term cover and would give the side something of the inventiveness they lost when another veteran forward, Teddy Sheringham, returned to Tottenham.
The club's long-term transfer targets still centre on two young South American forwards, Diego Forlan of Independiente, and Andres d'Alessandro, a 20-year-old who has made an explosive impact with River Plate. D'Alessandro's agent, Marcelo Simonian, admitted to holding "informal talks" with United, although Juventus have reportedly tabled a £15m bid for the Argentinian.
The fee for Di Canio may prove the stumbling block to any deal to bring the striker to Old Trafford. West Ham conducted a good defensive operation to keep Trevor Sinclair despite persistent bids from Sunderland and a transfer request by the England international.
Their main tactic was upping Sinclair's asking price to £10m. West Ham would want some £3.5m for Di Canio, having paid Sheffield Wednesday £1.7m in January 2000, although then he had not played for four months and claimed to be suffering from depression following his notorious push on the referee Paul Alcock, which earned an 11-match ban.
Di Canio has not played for West Ham since Boxing Day and did not travel to Yorkshire for the New Year's Day fixture with Leeds, which was lost 3-0. Roeder said it was because the player was suffering from a tightness in the hamstring, a position he maintained yesterday.
"In a nutshell, he was injured," Roeder said. "We could not risk him against Leeds in case he damaged it to an extent where he would be out for a month. He is concentrating on rehabilitating his hamstring but, unfortunately, he hasn't been able to come in today because our doctor has been round to see him and he is carrying a very heavy cold.
"We are not in contact with Manchester United. I have a good relationship with Paolo, but have not found it necessary to speak to him about it, nor has he spoken to me on the matter."
However, if West Ham are to sell Di Canio, now would seem an appropriate time to do it. He is under contract until November next year, although the club was not impressed by recent attempts to renegotiate an improved deal.
Di Canio's relationship with his team-mates has been uneasy since the publication of his autobiography which labelled Nigel Winterburn a "coward" and dismissed Rio Ferdinand's international credentials. He has been fiercely critical of his own club this season and in the wake of West Ham's 7-1 humiliation at Blackburn in October, Di Canio used the club's own website to attack every member of his side bar Tomas Repka.
After a first full season which brought 16 goals, Di Canio's scoring ratio has tailed off. Last season brought nine goals while this season he has managed six. He also faces a police investigation after allegations that he aimed a punch at a steward at Leicester in the aftermath of a Premiership match.
With the second phase of the Champions' League due to resume next month, Di Canio's lack of real European experience would worry Ferguson more than his disciplinary record. A man who tamed and transformed Eric Cantona would not lose sleep over spending the last four months of his managerial career in the company of one of football's most quixotic performers.
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