Manchester City striker Benjani will miss the start of the new season after picking up a thigh injury.

The Zimbabwe international pulled a muscle in training, leaving City desperately short of attacking options with the 2008/09 campaign drawing ever closer.

The club’s record signing, Jo, has joined up with the Brazil squad ahead of the Beijing Olympics, while Bernado Corradi and Rolando Bianchi are expected to depart Eastlands this summer.

This means that Darius Vassell, who has been utilised more as a winger in recent times, and Valeri Bojinov, who missed most of last season through injury, are Mark Hughes’ only senior strikers.
Disappointment

“Unfortunately he picked it up a couple of days ago, he pulled a thigh muscle quite badly and the medical staff reckon he won’t be available until into the new season,” Hughes told the club’s official website.

“They have to wait for the muscle to heal and then for the strength to come back, and that will need a lot of work. It’s a big disappointment for me, but also for the lad himself because he was hoping to hit the ground running.

“Benjani ended last season quite well, and it is a shame but these things happen. You will always pick up injuries in pre-season, you hope that they will be slight ones that players can get over, but unfortunately this is a little bit more than that.

“We were quite strong, bodies-wise, we had quite a number of forward-thinking players but it could be that as we progress over the next couple of weeks we will be shorter than we thought we were going to be. We will have to have a look at it, we talk about how the balance of the squad needs to be right so we will make sure we will have enough strength there. It’s a blow, and it was not something we were anticipating.”

Having accepted that he may be forced to bolster his strike force over the coming weeks, Hughes has been linked with moves for West Ham’s Craig Bellamy, Blackburn’s Roque Santa Cruz and Marseille’s Djibril Cisse.

Skipper

Meanwhile, the City boss has also confirmed that Richard Dunne will retain the captain’s armband for next season.

The centre-half had appeared to be heading to Portsmouth just a few weeks ago, having grown frustrated by the manner in which Sven Goran Eriksson’s exit from the club was handled.

However, he was persuaded to stay by Hughes and subsequently put pen-to-paper on a new contract.

“It was important for me to understand Richard’s position when I arrived here and get it resolved and now everyone is happy,” Hughes told the Manchester Evening News.

“He fulfils the captain’s role very well and will continue to do so.

“I have been delighted with the response Richard has made since he signed. He has been part of this squad for a long time and it was important we made sure he would continue to be a big part of things.”

Ref From skysports.com

Wigan Athletic boss Steve Bruce is hoping Egyptian striker Amr Zaki can light up the Premier League with the scoring form that has seen him ranked as the best hitman on the planet…

After a lengthy negotiation process, the Latics have finally secured Zaki’s services on an initial loan deal from El Zamalek, which could cost up to ₤2million depending on add-ons.

The 25-year-old has been prolific for both club and country since returning to Egypt after a horror spell at Lokomotiv Moscow in 2006, during which he failed to feature at all.

But Bruce hopes his new recruit can put his previous stint in Europe behind him and transfer the form he displayed for the Pharaohs in February to the JJB Stadium.

“According to FIFA statistics, Zaki is rated No 1 in the world,” Bruce said in the Daily Mail.

“He’s scored better than one in two for his country and Egypt won the Africa Cup of Nations. He’s a big star out there - I hope he can be for us.”

Ref From Mike Maguire - goal.com

Unsettled Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry will return to training on Wednesday, according to the club.

Barry had previously been ordered not to report for pre-season training after criticising manager Martin O’Neill in an unauthorised newspaper interview.

However, an unfit Barry is unlikely to play against Danish side Odense in the Intertoto Cup on Saturday.

The midfielder, 27, has been frustrated by O’Neill’s decision to reject a succession of bids from Liverpool.

The Premiership rivals have been unable to agree terms for the proposed move, with the Anfield club still to meet O’Neill’s demands.

Villa, who also fined Barry two weeks’ wages after his outburst, are understood to want £17m plus full-back Steve Finnan, as well as full payment in the next 12 months.

“Liverpool have come back to us and we have responded to their proposal with a letter. We’re still waiting to hear back,” O’Neill said.

“It’s really up to Liverpool. I really don’t know how it’s going to work out at the moment. I’m sure there will be some sort of resolution at some stage or another.”

The latest sticking point could be the value of Republic of Ireland international Finnan, who Liverpool rate at £2m. Villa believe he is only worth half of that figure as he enters the final year of his contract.

Villa are also believed to want Liverpool to follow the traditional Premier League structure of paying half of the fee now and the rest in 12 months’ time.

O’Neill wasted no time in rejecting Liverpool’s last offer, which was in the region of £15m.

O’Neill told the club website: “We put a valuation on him and Liverpool value him differently at the moment. That’s what the stalemate is, nothing else.

“When somebody says they want to leave there’s not much you can do. If they meet our valuation he will go.

“Gareth has pointed out he wants to go and has made his position clear, that has been the case since the beginning of June, when he said he wanted to join Liverpool.”

It has been suggested that Liverpool’s interest in Barry has waned, what with the mooted sale of Xabi Alonso to Juventus falling through. Reds boss Rafael Benitez has also admitted an interest in Tottenham striker Robbie Keane.

In the interview that led to his punishment, Barry admonished Villa for not trying hard enough to keep him - even though O’Neill insisted they want him to stay.

The player signalled his intention to move when he complained about Villa’s lack of urgency in speaking to him.

“There’s no going back, it’s time for me to move on,” he said.

“I’m desperate to play Champions League football and that’s why I have to leave Villa.”

But O’Neill vehemently denied Barry’s claim, saying: “The chairman and I were surprised at Gareth’s comments,” he said.

“Contrary to what he said, we desperately wanted to keep him - and he knows that.

“Why on earth would we not want to keep our very top player at the football club when we’re trying to improve?”

Barry captained England for the first time and scored his first international goal during the recent friendly against Trinidad and Tobago.

Liverpool are keen to partner Barry in midfield with England colleague Steven Gerrard.

Meanwhile, defender Martin Laursen is in the frame to take Barry’s job as Villa captain.

O’Neill said: “There are a number of people on the list and Martin Laursen would certainly be one of the names I’d be thinking about.

“He was terrific last season. There are a number of people who would want it but there are a number of people who are on my list who might not want it. I haven’t discussed it yet.

“There are quite a few candidates at the club and perhaps others not yet at the club so that’s something I’ll look at further down the line.”

Ref from BBC SPORTS