I’m confident everything will be settled on Monday after we have talked to the player about personal terms over

I’m confident everything will be settled on Monday after we have talked to the player about personal terms over the weekend.”He is a player who always used to worry me when he had the ball for the opposition. “I know Kevin still really didn’t want to let him go but his loss is our gain. Fox, a wide player whom many felt during his Norwich days ought to have received England recognition, has seen his career stagnate at Newcastle where his future has been further compromised by the signing of the Frenchman David Ginola this summer.”I’m delighted because we have had our eye on him for some time and it was only the money difference holding us up,” Francis said. Newcastle had been holding out for an extra pounds 500,000.Gerry Francis, the Spurs manager, has been scouring Europe in recent weeks searching for players to strengthen the side and was understood to be on the verge of making a bid for Enzo Scifo, the Belgian international.Instead he has found a midfielder of a very different kind far closer to home. Football

CLIVE WHITE
Kevin Keegan last night “reluctantly” accepted a pounds 4m offer from Tottenham Hotspur for Ruel Fox, the midfielder he signed for almost half that sum from Norwich two seasons ago. This afternoon they take a record of one point out of 21 to Nottingham Forest, who made a bad start three years ago and ended up relegated. The difference is that no one is saying City are too good to go down..

The first reunion, at Villa Park, ended in a goalless draw but a moral victory for Big Ron over Little, Brian.Meanwhile, as Cantona prepares to come in from the cold, the heat is on for the team from across town City visit United a fortnight today. Tony Yeboah may have answered the T-shirt trade’s prayers in the wake of Cantona’s exit, but only one of his 10 goals has come at Elland Road.Another derby with a twist sees Coventry striving to put one over Aston Villa, the club who sacked their manager, Ron Atkinson. While four appears an improbable total for both sides together, it should be worth the price of a ticket to witness the battle of wits between Ruud Gullit and Dennis Bergkamp, who were last on the same pitch in a Milanese derby.Leeds, who have mysteriously reversed the pattern of recent years by winning well away and struggling at home, urgently need to beat Sheffield Wednesday as Howard Wilkinson completes six years as manager since forsaking Hillsborough. Keegan may thus view tomorrow’s match as a watershed.Arsenal can capture pole position, if only overnight, with a four-goal success at Chelsea. The FA Cup holders will be turning out barely 65 hours after playing in Europe; Newcastle had the luxury of a blank midweek.Defeat in their last away match, at Southampton, revived suspicions about Newcastle’s ability to improve their away results to the extent required of champions.

Victory could restore them to the Premiership summit – depending on the fate of the leaders Newcastle – although equally a Liverpool win might take them top.Ironically, Cantona’s reappearance may coincide with the absence of his compatriot, David Ginola, whom Kevin Keegan gives only a 50-50 chance of playing at Everton. “He’s not difficult to referee,” the Harrow schoolmaster said, “because any disciplinary problems he’s had have been related to opponents rather than the officials.”After a sudden dip in form of the kind which afflicts young players, United must hope Cantona is somewhere approaching his best. There would be no soft-pedalling this time either, the man known as “Razor” warned. In more statesmanlike mode, John Barnes claims there is “no way the players will attempt to wind Eric up”.The referee, David Elleray, has promised not to “duck the issue” if Cantona deserved to be sent off – he could hardly say otherwise – but noted he had cautioned him only once in a dozen matches. But at Old Trafford, where rebuilding means there is no room for away fans, Cantona’s only enemies will be Neil Ruddock et al and his own volatility.Ruddock has been quoted as admitting that his provocative act last year, when he pulled down Cantona’s trademark upturned collar, was premeditated.

Anfield, all mouth and Scousers, might have been an injudicious choice of venue for the comeback. The question now is whether the Frenchman’s fitness and temperament allow him to finish the game; whether it will be le jour de gloire or ooh-aah au revoir.What is certain is that the return of United’s man for all reasons will release a flash-flood of emotions. After eight months as a prisoner of the stands, liberation for Manchester United’s No 7 becomes official tomorrow.Alex Ferguson has already confirmed that Cantona, whose aversion to sharing a bath has so often led him into deep water, will be plunged in from the start against Liverpool. Second Division City are also believed to be paying a cash adjustment of pounds 75,000 for Nugent, who makes his debut against Wycombe this afternoon.. Football

PHIL SHAW
According to the cod philosophy that makes Eric Cantona the Jean-Paul Sardine of football, he is not a number but a free man.