Football In Brief: Pleat set for Spurs return as a scout

Tottenham

The former Spurs manager David Pleat is on the verge of returning to the north London club as a scout.

Pleat, who has managed the club on four separate occasions – three of them as caretaker – has been offered the chance to rejoin the ranks at White Hart Lane in a role that would see him scout players in Britain and abroad for manager Harry Redknapp. The 66-year-old, who also works as a media pundit, recently worked as a football consultant for Nottingham Forest but stepped down from the role last week.

McQueen receives cancer treatment

Leeds United

The former Leeds, Manchester United and Scotland defender Gordon McQueen is to undergo treatment after being diagnosed with cancer of the larynx.

The 59-year-old will have the treatment in Middlesbrough, close to his North Yorkshire home. He was part of the Elland Road side of the 1970s which won the league and reached the European Cup final before he headed to Old Trafford.

Dyer's injury jinx strikes yet again

QPR

Kieron Dyer looks set for yet another lengthy spell on the sidelines. The 32-year-old, who signed for QPR on a free transfer this summer, has played six minutes of competitive football for the club thanks to an ankle injury suffered on his debut against Bolton. "There seems to be a new ligament problem at the front of his foot, and he has been in a lot of pain," said manager Neil Warnock. "I feel for the lad, especially after the training and effort he's made to get back."

'Brilliant' Kean gets owners' backing

Blackburn

Blackburn's Steve Kean oversaw a 3-0 friendly win over India's Pune FC yesterday, then earned an enthusiastic vote of confidence. Balaji Rao, Rovers' co-owner, described Kean as a "brilliant manager". Rao then added that the team, in the Premier League's bottom three, "is going in the right direction... On the whole the goal of playing in Europe over the next four to five years is a realistic one."