McManaman ponders possibility of Premiership return

Steve McManaman yesterday gave the clearest indication yet that he may be ready for a return to English club football. Speaking ahead of his team's Champions' League quarter-final with Manchester United, the Real Madrid midfielder said: "At the end of the season, we will sit down and look at the situation. A return is a possibility, but we'll just have to see what comes up."

McManaman joined Real from Liverpool in 1999 in a five-year deal worth a reported £70,000 per week. He has since won the Champions' League twice and is on course for a Primera Liga title. But he has made only 14 appearances this season and at 31 knows that if he is to harbour further international ambitions he must find a club that can offer him first-team football. "At the moment, I'm happy enough with the way things are at Real," he said, "but I'd obviously like to play more regularly, so something may happen."

If debt-ridden Real want money for McManaman, they will have to sell him this summer. There could be considerable interest in him from Premiership clubs with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Middlesbrough potential candidates for his signature. A return to Liverpool might be out, if only because their current side would make him feel old.

By contrast, Rustu Recber, the Turkish goalkeeper who is reported to be attracting interest from Arsenal, is not so keen on life in England. He said he would prefer signing a new contract with Fenerbahce, where he has played for nine years to making a move to the Premier League.

The Turkish daily Hurriyet reported that Recber wants £1m for a year or £2.5m over three years to stay at Fenerbahce after his contract expires at the end of the season.

But Rustu, who played in Turkey's 2-0 defeat by England in the Euro 2004 qualifying match at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday, said that he was talking with Fenerbahce first. "If I wanted to leave, I would have accepted the offers that came my way without thinking twice," said the goalkeeper who likes to wear black "warpaint" under his eyes when playing.