Football: McAteer's chance as battle brews

JASON McATEER plays in his preferred midfield role for the Republic of Ireland in their European Championship match against Leichtenstein in Dublin tonight knowing that a pounds 4m fight for his signature between three Premiership teams is about to start.

The 23-year-old Bolton player, who made a great impact in the World Cup, has Arsenal, Liverpool and Blackburn all monitoring his situation at Burnden Park, where he was a key figure in last season's FA Cup run.

McAteer gets the job because Andy Townsend and Roy Keane are injured. The switch also allows a starting place for the winger Eddie McGoldrick, who admits he is close to asking the Arsenal manager, George Graham, for a transfer after beginning just one first-team game so far this season.

It is another injury that allows a comeback chance for Alan Kernaghan at centre-half. Jack Charlton will not risk Paul McGrath's right knee, which means that the Aston Villa veteran will be on the bench.

The manager has to make four changes to the team who dismissed another of the Group Six make-weights, Latvia, 3-0 in Riga last month.

Charlton misses the game in order to spy on his next two opponents, Austria and Northern Ireland, in Vienna.