Best sidelined by knee blow

Newcastle have confirmed striker Leon Best is facing several weeks on the sidelines as he recovers from a knee ligament injury.

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The 25-year-old Republic of Ireland international damaged his knee in a first-half block tackle with Stephen Warnock during Sunday's 2-1 Barclays Premier League victory over Aston Villa.

A club statement said: "Newcastle United can today confirm that Leon Best has sustained medial ligament damage to his left knee."

The statement added: "The striker was forced off in the early stages of Sunday's home victory over Aston Villa having picked up an injury while trying to get a shot away.

"After being assessed by the club's medical staff, Best underwent a scan on Tuesday and will be out for a number of weeks."

Krul wants top six finish

Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul is in no mood to be patted on the back as he and his team-mates continue to defy their doubters.

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The Magpies climbed to fifth place in the Barclays Premier League table as a result of a hard-fought victory over Blackburn at Ewood Park on Wednesday night.

Krul said: "We really want to push on for the second half of the season because we are up there and the chance is there. We really have to push on. I don't think we should rest on our laurels, we just have to really crack on now."

He added: "We have got a fantastic squad and if we can prove we are a top-six team at the end of the season, that will attract more players to the club and then we can really push on."

Alan Pardew's squad will be boosted for Sunday's game against Aston Villa by their sole January signing, former Freiburg striker Papiss Demba Cisse, who is available for the first time following his return, along with 15-goal leading scorer Demba Ba, from Senegal's ill-fated African Nations Cup campaign.

With Ivory Coast midfielder Cheick Tiote still involved in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, the Magpies will be stronger still in a few weeks' time.

Krul said: "Demba has been amazing, and to get his mate with him, that's a bonus and I am looking forward to seeing them both back.

"Hopefully Cheick won't be too much longer because he is a fantastic player for us as well."

Cabaye gets three-match ban

Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye was on Wednesday handed a three-match ban after being found guilty of violent conduct in Saturday's FA Cup defeat at Brighton.

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Cabaye had denied deliberately kicking out at Albion defender Adam El-Abd at the Amex Stadium and contested the FA charge.

But a regulatory commission found him guilty and he will now miss Wednesday's Barclays Premier League game at Blackburn and the upcoming matches against Aston Villa and Tottenham.

Reacting to the verdict, Cabaye tweeted: "3 matchs ban it's a real injustice but life goes on !!! In my teammates i trust ..."

Manager Alan Pardew had been hopeful of getting the charge dismissed, claiming he had the support of El-Abd, who had initially branded the kick deliberate.

Pardew said: "I had a call from the Brighton coaching team to suggest to me that their player wants to support our player, and I have never had that.

"We never instigated it, we never asked or put a phone call in to Brighton.

"We have sent our letter in, a strong letter, and we have also, after the contact from Brighton, asked the Brighton player if he would forward a letter to us, which he has kindly done."

Pardew, who had asked to make a personal appearance at Wednesday's hearing to present Cabaye's case, added: "If we had 18 cameras at every game, you would be sending two or three players off at every set play because there's contract, trust me, more intended contact than there is with Cabaye's incident.

"I really do think they need to just take a deep breath on this one, have a good look at it."

Cabaye waits on FA ruling

Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye was on Wednesday hoping to fend off a three game ban after denying an Football Association violent conduct charge.

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The 26-year-old Frenchman on Tuesday night formally denied an allegation after clashing with Brighton defender Adam El-Abd during the Magpies' 1-0 FA Cup fourth-round defeat on Saturday.

An FA spokesman said: "Newcastle United midfielder Yohan Cabaye has denied a charge of violent conduct."

The spokesman added: "Cabaye was charged following an incident in The FA Cup Fourth Round tie against Brighton Hove Albion on Saturday, January 28.

"A regulatory commission will hear the charge on Wednesday, February 1, 2012."

Either way, Newcastle will know if Cabaye will be available or suspended for Wednesday's Barclays Premier League clash with Blackburn well in advance.

The fixture will see full-back Danny Simpson complete a century of games for the club as he continues his mission to secure an unlikely European adventure with the Magpies next season.

The 25-year-old, whose current deal expires at the end of next season, is yet to agree a new contract with the Magpies, and fresh talks have been put on hold until the summer. But as he prepares to make his 100th appearance, Simpson insists he is happy where he is and is determined to play his part in the charge for a top-six finish.

Asked about his contractual situation, the former Manchester United defender said: "It will be looked at again in the summer, but I have said I am happy here.

"It will be my 100th game [on Wednesday] and I am happy. I am playing and I want to be one of the players who is involved in a Newcastle team which has reached Europe."

Cabaye denies FA charge

Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye has formally denied an FA charge of violent conduct.

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The 26-year-old's case will be heard by a regulatory commission on Wednesday morning, meaning the Magpies will know whether or not he is available for the Barclays Premier League clash with Blackburn later the same day.

An FA statement read: "Newcastle United midfielder Yohan Cabaye has denied a charge of violent conduct. Cabaye was charged following an incident in the FA Cup fourth round tie against Brighton on Saturday, January 28. A regulatory commission will hear the charge on Wednesday, February 1, 2012."

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew launched a passionate defence of the former Lille man following his clash with Brighton defender Adam El-Abd, who has written a letter to the commission to support Cabaye's claims of innocence.

Pardew, who was unhappy at the extent to which the incident was highlighted during television coverage of the game, said: "I am absolutely livid about it, if I am honest, because firstly, when the incident happened, I didn't see anything wrong with it.

"After the game, someone said to me about the TV coverage, especially the presenter, Ray Stubbs, was so ferocious about it, and I couldn't understand that. He had two professionals on that show telling him that the guy was trying to keep the player from tumbling on him.

"I have reviewed that about seven or eight times and seriously, he is trying to stop the boy falling on him.

"He does make a gesture to push him away and in doing so, catches him just on the lip. If you find that that was a malicious attempt to do that, then my goodness, you have never played this game. I cannot believe that the referee, after the game, has gone back. Now whether this is pressure that he's under, I don't know.

"Yesterday, I had a call from the Brighton coaching team to suggest to me that their player wants to support our player, and I have never had that. We never instigated it, we never asked or put a phone call in to Brighton - in fact, I didn't see (Brighton manager) Gus (Poyet) after the game, and I must apologise to him for that, because I had to shoot off.

"We have sent our letter in, a strong letter, and we have also, after the contact from Brighton, asked the Brighton player if he would forward a letter to us, which he has kindly done, and that will go in as well.

Newcastle's Cabaye charged by FA

France midfielder Yohan Cabaye has been charged with violent conduct following an incident during Premier League side Newcastle's FA Cup defeat by Brighton on Saturday.

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The Football Association said Monday Cabaye had been charged after allegedly kicking out at Championship side Brighton's Egyptian defender Adam El-Abd.

An FA statement said: "Newcastle United midfielder Yohan Cabaye has been charged with violent conduct following an incident in the FA Cup fourth round tie against Brighton Hove Albion.

"Cabaye was involved in an incident involving Brighton's Adam El-Abd during the FA Cup tie at the Amex Stadium on Saturday 28 January.

"Cabaye has until 6pm (1800GMT) on Tuesday, January 31 2012 to respond to the charge."

The 26-year-old Cabaye faces a three-match ban if he accepts or is found guilty of the charge and that ban could be increased if he challenges the allegation and fails.

If Cabaye pleads guilty, he would miss Wednesday's Premier League trip to Blackburn, Sunday's home clash with Aston Villa and the match against title-chasing Tottenham the following weekend.

The France international joined sixth-placed Newcastle in a £4.3million move from French double winners Lille last year.

His absence would be a big blow for the north-east side, especially as Cabaye's regular central midfield partner Cheick Tiote is still away on Africa Cup of Nations duty with the Ivory Coast.

FA charge Cabaye

Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye has been charged with violent conduct following an incident in Saturday's FA Cup fourth round defeat at Brighton.

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The Football Association confirmed on Monday evening that the French midfielder has been charged after allegedly kicking out at the Seagulls' Egyptian defender Adam El-Abd.

A statement said: "Newcastle United midfielder Yohan Cabaye has been charged with violent conduct following an incident in the FA Cup fourth round tie against Brighton Hove Albion."

The statement: "Cabaye was involved in an incident involving Brighton's Adam El-Abd during the FA Cup tie at the Amex Stadium on Saturday 28 January.

"Cabaye has until 6pm on Tuesday, January 31 2012 to respond to the charge."

The 26-year-old faces a three-match ban if he accepts or is subsequently convicted of the charge, with Newcastle well aware that the penalty could be increased if he decides to fight the allegation and fails.

El-Abd was left with a cut lip in the incident, although referee Lee Probert took no action at the time.

Cabaye would be a huge miss for Magpies boss Alan Pardew, particularly with regular central midfield partner Cheick Tiote still away on African Nations Cup duty with Ivory Coast.

The pair have played a major role in Newcastle's rise to sixth in the Barclays Premier League table and the absence of both at the same time would prove a significant loss.

Should Cabaye plead guilty, he would miss Wednesday night's Barclays Premier League trip to Blackburn, Sunday's home clash with Aston Villa and the tough visit to Tottenham the following weekend.

Pardew up for the Cup

Danny Guthrie is convinced manager Alan Pardew's love for the FA Cup will see Newcastle mount a genuine challenge for glory this season.

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The Magpies head for a potentially difficult fourth-round tie at npower Championship Brighton on Saturday evening having come from behind to see off Barclays Premier League rivals Blackburn in the previous round.

Guthrie said: "The manager really likes the competition, he has always put strong teams out. He took West Ham to the final and nearly won it, so he does like that competition."

Pardew himself admits the FA Cup gives him a real buzz and a different challenge to the one presented weekly by the Barclays Premier League.

He said: "It does. The passion that comes around a cup game - they are those one-off occasions when anything can happen.

"There are no points to play for, it is just purely being in the hat for the next game, and that's the most important thing for us in this particular fixture, to be in the hat for the next round."

Brighton, of course, won their place in the fourth round with a penalty shoot-out victory over non-league Wrexham, a game which left Guthrie with mixed feelings.

He said: "I don't know which one is better looking at Wrexham's pitch, but Brighton are very good at home.

"I have seen them a couple of times and they are a good passing side."

Senegal slump is good news for Toon

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew was preparing for an unexpected bonus with strikers Demba Ba and Papiss Demba Cisse due to return weeks ahead of schedule.

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Pardew sent the pair off on African Nations Cup duty earlier this month knowing they could be away until the middle of next month if Senegal went all the way in the competition.

However, defeats by Zambia and co-hosts Equatorial Guinea in their opening Group A games mean they cannot now qualify for the knockout stages of the competition, and Sunday's clash with Libya will end their involvement.

Pardew is yet to speak to 15-goal leading scorer Ba and Cisse, the man he signed from Freiburg before the tournament got under way, but has not given up hope of having them both available for Wednesday's Barclays Premier League clash with Blackburn.

He said: "We have to understand the federation of Senegal's wishes, and also our own.

"Lee Charnley, our secretary here, will call them and have a conversation as to when and where we can get them back.

"Blackburn on Wednesday? That's probably tight, but we might try to get them back for that.

"I am guessing they are not too pleased about how it's gone, so that's something we will have to focus on when they return.

"On the other hand, obviously they are coming back early, so that part of it, I am pleased about.

"They are two great players and you want your best players in and around your team."

Pardew calm despite collapse

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has insisted there is no need for panic after Saturday's second-half horror show at Fulham.

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The Magpies saw a deserved 1-0 half-time lead transformed into a 5-2 drubbing after they completely lost their way at Craven Cottage to slip to defeat for the first time in 2012. However, they remain level on points with fifth-placed Arsenal, who lost at home to Manchester United 24 hours later, and a point ahead of Liverpool in seventh.

Pardew is confident they will bounce back, and told NUFC TV from the club's warm-weather training camp in Tenerife: "It was a disappointing game, but not a disappointing weekend, fortunately, because the results mean we are still right in there, and that's where we want to be."

He added: "Arsenal lost, Stoke lost, Chelsea got a draw, so we find ourselves not too much different to where we were at the start of that game.

"It's gone, there's nothing we can do about it.

"The second half, we will reflect on and make sure that never happens again. We just lost our way, and that can happen in a Premier League season.

"But there is nothing to panic about or worry about. We are in a fantastic position and if our fans are a little bit concerned after Saturday, they shouldn't be.

"We are looking at those above, don't worry about that."

Newcastle will return to finalise their preparations for Saturday evening's FA Cup fourth round trip to npower Championship Brighton before heading for Blackburn on Wednesday evening in the last of three successive away games.

Man charged with Twitter race abuse

Police have charged a man with posting racist abuse on a social networking site directed at Newcastle United.

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Northumbria Police said Peter Copeland, 29, from West Rainton, Durham, is due to appear before Sunderland Magistrates Court on Monday February 6.

A police spokesman said Copeland had been charged with two offences in connection with the Malicious Communications Act.

The abuse, posted as the Magpies prepared to unveil their new signing, Senegalese striker Papiss Demba Cisse, is alleged to have focused on the number of black players the club has in its squad.

Pardew preaches power of nine

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has urged the club's fans to be patient as new signing Papiss Demba Cisse attempts to handle the pressure of filling the club's famous number nine shirt.

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The 26-year-old Senegal international completed a sensational transfer to the Magpies from German club Freiburg on Tuesday night on a whistlestop visit to Tyneside from his country's African Nations Cup training camp.

Pardew is confident he will cope, but knows he will need time to settle into his new role, and said: "He's not young, he's a good age. He is in the prime of his career. He has been under pressure in is career, so he understands it."

He added: "He is going to be surprised at the pressure that comes with this, but I think he will attack it in an honest way. He's an honest footballer and I think our fans appreciate that.

"I hope they have a little bit of patience at the start because he is going to find it difficult to get in the team, let alone be worthy of the jersey, so I hope our fans are patient with him and give him every opportunity."

However, Cisse himself insists he is well aware of the history of the shirt he has inherited, and is relishing the chance to prove himself worthy of it.

He told NUFC TV: "Yes, number nine. I talked a lot about that with the manager and he made sure I knew that the number nine is a number that is not a big number, it is a legendary number for this team.

"I promise that I will do what is required of me wearing this number.

"What I want to do is show I am worth the money to make people confident in me. They have brought me here and I don't want to disappoint them.

"I want to do my best to show them they were right to have confidence in me, and I want to pay them back."

Newcastle complete Cisse signing

Newcastle have signed Senegalese striker Papiss Demba Cisse from Freiburg on a five-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

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The Premier League club confirmed the deal on Tuesday night and are thought to have spent in the region of £10million on the 26-year-old, who is an international team-mate of new Magpies strike partner Demba Ba.

Cisse has nine Bundesliga goals to his name so far this season and scored for his country in their 1-0 victory over Kenya in a warm-up game for the African Nations Cup, which gets under way in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon on Saturday.

Cisse will wear the famous number nine shirt on Tyneside, and he said: "I would like to thank everybody for their welcome, and for inviting me to sign for the club.

"It is an honour to play for such a big club and I am looking forward to it. I want to pay back the confidence the club have shown in me, and give the supporters something to be proud of."

The forward added: "I am aware of the huge importance of the number nine shirt, and when I spoke with the manager he made it very clear how important this shirt is. I will treat it with respect and I hope to do my very best in this shirt."

Magpies boss Alan Pardew added: "Ever since Andy Carroll left, Papiss was my first choice in the specific role he has at the end of the play.

"He is a finisher with an already-established CV in the Bundesliga, where we have monitored him for the best part of two years.

"Unfortunately he was out of reach, financially, for us in the summer, but it recently became apparent that Derek Llambias (managing director) and Lee Charnley (club secretary) could do the deal in this window.

"It has become obvious this season that the team and the club have done exceptionally well, and (owner) Mike Ashley has backed me to bring this player to the club. I would like to thank Mike, Derek and everyone involved for getting this deal over the line."

Newcastle in talks with Cisse

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew is closing in on a shock swoop for Freiburg striker Papiss Demba Cisse.

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Press Association Sport understands the Magpies have agreed an undisclosed fee for the Senegal international and that he is on Tyneside with a view to tying up the transfer.

Cisse, 26, would join international team-mate Demba Ba, who left for the African Nations Cup having scored 15 goals to date this season, on the Magpies' books.

Pardew revealed at the start of the January transfer window that the club were unlikely to recruit a striker this month after ending their interest in Sochaux's Modibo Maiga, but would instead concentrate on landing a central defender with Steven Taylor sidelined for the rest of the campaign by an Achilles injury.

However, it emerged in recent days that the Magpies, who failed to land a big-name frontman during the summer despite a concerted search, had rekindled their interest in Paris St Germain's Mevlut Erding. But it appears that it is Cisse, who has also been linked with derby rivals Sunderland and Tottenham in recent weeks, who is now the focus of their attention.

He has nine Bundesliga goals to his name so far this season and scored for his country in their 1-0 victory over Kenya in a warm-up game for the African Nations Cup, which gets underway in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon on Saturday. Cisse looks to have become available following Cologne frontman Sebastien Freis' arrival at Freiburg.

Ba, of course, has been linked with a move away from Tyneside this month after it emerged that he has a release clause in the contract he signed last summer as Newcastle took a gamble on his long-term fitness.

That has paid off handsomely with the former West Ham man having established himself as one of the most prolific goalscorers in the Barclays Premier League this term.

While angry that news of the clause has leaked out, the Magpies are confident they can hang on to a player who has shown few signs of wanting to leave a club where he has rapidly established himself as a local hero. Attracting an international team-mate might well strengthen his ties and persuade Ba that his future remains in the north east.

Cisse was rated at around £14million during the summer, but it is understood the fee is significantly less than that with the Magpies continuing to exploit the European market, a policy which has proved hugely productive in recent seasons.

Ben Arfa says he has matured

Hatem Ben Arfa insisted on Monday that his days as the bad boy of French football are behind him as he looks to rekindle his career with Premier League side Newcastle and Les Bleus.

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The 24-year-old winger has begun to impress with Newcastle after returning to action after almost a year on the sidelines with a double leg fracture, scoring in last week's FA Cup third round win against Blackburn.

"It did me good not to be seen for a year," Ben Arfa told French daily l'Equipe.

"It just gave me time to move on and mature.

"It's my only fear now, not having enough time to do all that I want to achieve, not being able to show what I'm worth. Because I've wasted a lot of time!"

A product of the national football academy at Clairefontaine, near Paris, Ben Arfa had been hailed as a future hope of French football before gaining a reputation for being difficult during his time with Lyon and Marsille.

"I did terrible things during my career, which weren't normal or morally good," admitted Ben Arfa, the son of Tunisian immigrants in France.

"It happened everywhere I went, in Clairefontaine, in Lyon. Since I was very small I've been very impulsive, I fought all the time.

"With hindsight, I understand that I could have been perceived as someone too sure of himself. I gave off negative vibes, I had bad energy."

He recalled how while playing for Marseille in 2008 he even refused to come on as a substitute against PSG because he was angry at being on the bench, a thing he would not dream of doing at Newcastle under coach Alan Pardew.

"I'm always frustrated when I'm not playing but instead of clashing with the coach like before I let it go because I know I'll lose.

"I'm going to submit to his (Pardew) authority ... I'm not going to go looking for a fight. My time will come. I have to be patient."

Ben Arfa put his new-found serenity down to his Muslim faith as he looks to fight his way into the France team.

"I want to make the fans, the French people happy. I no longer see things in a black way, but positive. Today I can look at myself in the mirror," he added.

Pardew hopeful over Cabaye injury

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew is hopeful key midfielder Yohan Cabaye did not suffer any lasting damage after finding himself on the wrong end of an X-rated tackle.

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The Frenchman reacted furiously and left the pitch on a stretcher after being felled by QPR midfielder Shaun Derry's 20th-minute challenge during Sunday's 1-0 victory for the Magpies.

Pardew, who later revealed the injury did not seem as bad as was first feared, admitted that referee Chris Foy had probably got it right in only producing a yellow card, and said: "It was a strong challenge, but Shaun Derry is a player who makes strong challenges. The referee was right on top of it."

He added: "I thought it was borderline yellow/red, but I think probably it was a yellow. He seemed to get the ball.

"There always controversy about tackling. It's very, very difficult for referees, so I am not going to sit here and criticise that decision. But Yohan was upset. He felt it was probably a little bit over-exuberant, but the doc thinks he is going to be okay."

Opposite number Mark Hughes, in the Rangers dug-out for the first time, was of a similar opinion, and said: "At the time, I thought it was a whole-hearted challenge. Obviously, there's quite a debate at the moment in terms of the interpretation of challenges such as that, but whether or not the referee got that one wrong, I can't comment, really."

A tight game was won eight minutes before the break when Leon Best finally ended his four-month wait for a goal with a neat finish.

Meanwhile, Hughes, who declined to elaborate on reports that QPR are closing in on January swoops for Brazilian duo Alex and Henrique, dismissed suggestions he is ready to offload skipper Joey Barton, who was suspended for Sunday's return to his former club.

He said: "I saw that as well and I think it's one of those maybe mischief-making Sunday-morning-prior-to-an-early-kick-off lead stories. From my point of view, there's certainly no suggestion that we are thinking in those terms.

"He is captain of the club, I have re-iterated that this week. Joey is a quality player and we are looking to bring quality in, not to get those type of players out of the building."

Newcastle 1-0 QPR: Match Report

Best fills Ba's boots as Hughes makes losing start

Leon Best's first goal since September fired Newcastle into sixth place in the Barclays Premier League as Mark Hughes' first game as QPR boss ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat.

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The Republic of Ireland striker took his tally for the campaign to four with a neat finish eight minutes before the break to win a fiercely contested game.

Rangers had more than enough chances to get something out of the contest after creating a host of chances which were either squandered or repelled by goalkeeper Tim Krul on an afternoon when the Magpies turned in an unconvincing performance against the 18th-placed visitors.

However, Alan Pardew's men, who lost key midfielder Yohan Cabaye to a worrying ankle injury in the first half, just about did enough to emerge with the points after claiming a fourth win in five games in all competitions in front of a crowd of 49,865.

Hughes arrived on Tyneside having inherited a side which had not won in nine games in all competitions and had taken just two of the last 24 points on offer, and faced the task of overcoming a team which had comprehensively beaten champions Manchester United last time out.

However, the early signs were positive, even without suspended skipper and former Magpies Joey Barton, the injured Alejandro Faurlin and African Nations Cup absentees Armand Traore and Adel Taarabt.

QPR enjoyed much the better of the opening stages with Krul saving from Heidar Helguson and Akos Buzsaky inside the opening six minutes.

Newcastle were unable to get out of their own half and with wide men Shaun Wright-Phillips and Jamie Mackie forcing a series of errors from full-backs Danny Simpson and Davide Santon, Krul's goal came under repeated threat.

Indeed, Wright-Phillips clipped the crossbar after capitalising on a 16th-minute mistake by Simpson to leave the home fans less than impressed.

However, the flow of the game was to change as the game reached the 20-minute mark, and it did so as Cabaye, whose central midfield partnership with Cheick Tiote has been one of the features of the Magpies' season to date, left the field on a stretcher with what looked like a nasty ankle injury after an uncompromising challenge by Shaun Derry.

Even as Pardew urged Hatem Ben Arfa to hurry up on the sidelines to replace his compatriot, the 10 men responded to finally pin the visitors back.

Ben Arfa, whose stunning strike last weekend revived the Magpies' FA Cup campaign, eventually emerged from the dugout to warm applause, although Krul was sent sprawling across his line when Jay Bothroyd curled a 33rd-minute effort just wide.

But Ryan Taylor forced a fingertip save from Paddy Kenny seconds later as the home side belatedly built up a head of steam.

They made the pressure tell eight minutes before the break in impressive style.

Jonas Gutierrez set off towards the penalty area to feed striker Shola Ameobi, who laid the ball off to Taylor.

The midfielder managed to stab a pass out to Best before the covering tackle arrived and the frontman stepped inside full-back Luke Young before side-footing calmly into the far corner to end a four-month wait for a goal.

Hughes' men left the field at the break having given a decent account of themselves, but with Clint Hill and Bothroyd having joined Derry in referee Chris Foy's notebook as their physical approach took its toll.

But they resumed in promising fashion with Wright-Phillips testing Krul from distance within two minutes after Bothroyd had headed down Hill's long-ball to him.

Could Andy Carroll Be Going Back To Newcastle?

Could a return to the North East be on the cards for the former Newcastle hitman?

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SunSport and the Dailymail are both running stories with a move back to his native Newcastle being mooted.

They claim an agent has been in touch to offer them the 23 year old for £20million (£15million less than what they sold him for a year ago.)

It seems though that the Toon army are only prepared to pay £10million for the strikers signature.

Carroll's time at Liverpool has been over shadowed by injury and the woefully small return in goals in the past 12 months.

During his time at Newcastle Carroll bagged 11 goals in 20 appearances.

Newcastle dismiss Carroll link

Newcastle have played down rumours that striker Andy Carroll could make a cut-price return to Tyneside.

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Reports on Wednesday suggested that the Magpies could offer their former frontman a £10million escape from Liverpool after a desperately difficult first 12 months on Merseyside, but sources in the north-east have insisted there has been no contact between the two clubs despite weeks of speculation that Carroll could return to Newcastle.

In addition, the word from the Carroll camp is that they have not been told that the Reds are looking to offload the 23-year-old England international, and they themselves are certainly not seeking an exit for him.

Newcastle, of course, had no intention of selling their 6ft 3in hitman in January last year until Liverpool put together a £35million final-day offer they simply could not afford to ignore.

Their decision was greeted furiously by the Toon Army, who had hoped the club's future would be built around the Gateshead-born player, and their mood was not improved when a replacement failed to arrive.

The Magpies made the recruitment of a big-name striker their main priority for the summer, but having spent months running the rule over a series of targets on the Continent, were unable to strike a deal which suited them.

In the meantime, however, manager Alan Pardew had taken a gamble on Senegal international Demba Ba after a release-clause in his contract at West Ham had been activated by relegation.

Few predicted how handsomely that swoop would pay off with Ba having left for the African Nations Cup last week having scored 15 goals for the club to establish himself as one of the most prolific marksmen in the Barclays Premier League.

Ironically, the 26-year-old did so with speculation mounting that he could leave Newcastle during the winter transfer as news of a release-clause in his contract emerged.

Newcastle were furious that details of the player's contract had been made public, but remain relaxed on the situation, confident that Ba is happy where he is, although knowing they may have to re-negotiate his existing contract if they are to fend off understandable interest in him this month.

Man Utd knock City out of FA Cup in derby thriller

Manchester United knocked holders Manchester City out of the FA Cup with a 3-2 third round win in an incident-packed derby at Eastlands on Sunday.

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Wayne Rooney scored twice, netting either side of the controversial sending off of City captain Vincent Kompany, with Danny Welbeck also on target to make it 3-0 before the break for the visitors

But City pulled a goal back early in the second half when Aleksandar Kolarov bent a free-kick round the wall from the edge of the box.

And 10-man City struck again when Sergio Aguero made it 3-2 in the 65th minute following a mistake by United substitute Paul Scholes, summoned out of retirement by manager Sir Alex Ferguson following an injury crisis.

Premier League leaders City, three points in front of champions United at the top of the table, pressed for an equaliser, with Kolarov going close from a second free-kick in stoppage time, but Ferguson's men held on.