Weaver worry for City

Nicky Weaver admits he is struggling to shake off a hip injury ahead of Manchester City's visit to Portsmouth.

The goalkeeper suffered a badly bruised hip after colliding with team-mate Richard Dunne in City's 2-0 defeat to Reading last Saturday.

He was forced off with the injury and concedes he is facing a fight to recover from the problem in time for this weekend's trip to Fratton Park.

"If I was an outfield player, I would be confident of making the match, but the fact I have to dive around on it makes the situation a bit different," Weaver told the Manchester Evening News.

Weaver has missed just one game for City all season and if he is forced to sit out the Pompey game, then Andreas Isaksson is likely to make his first start for the club.

Isaksson replaced his team-mate against Reading and his only previous action was in coming on as a substitute for Weaver in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford in December.

Trotters tipped to bag Cesar

Bolton are being tipped to wrap up the capture of Spanish defender Cesar.

The stopper cancelled his contract with Levante on transfer deadline day and this appears to have paved the away for him to secure a move to Bolton.

There had been confusion as to whether he would be able to sign for a team outside of the transfer window, but the stopper's agent has confirmed that Cesar is free to find a new club.

Cesar passed a medical at the start of the week and is expected to sign a deal which binds him to The Reebok Stadium until the summer of 2008.

The 29-year-old only joined Levante in the summer, having moved across Spain from Deportivo La Coruna, but the switch did not work out as planned as he made just one league start for the club.

More on skysports.com.

Fergie fumes at 'petty' Wenger

Sir Alex Ferguson has bristled at suggestions from Arsene Wenger that Manchester United lack stamina, branding the Frenchman's reputed comments as 'petty'.

Following Arsenal's late 2-1 win over United on Sunday, Gunners midfielder Mathieu Flamini claimed that Wenger had told his troops that their great rivals would tire in the final stages.

The implicit indication that his team cannot last the course has angered Ferguson, and the Scot has now reignited a war of words with Wenger which has largely lain dormant since the arrival of Jose Mourinho in England.

"Of course, after there was a big analysis that they concede more goals in the last 20 minutes - but most of the time, that is because they lead and teams have a go at them.

"Manchester United are top of the league - and if they are top of the league, that means they do not collapse."

Wenger frets over Hleb injury

Arsene Wenger admits Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb's hamstring injury 'doesn't look too good'.

Hleb picked up the problem during The Gunners' 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final on Wednesday night.

The Belarus international came on as a 56th minute substitute for Abou Diaby, but lasted just 25 minutes before being replaced by Mathieu Flamini.

Following on from the injury Robin van Persie suffered against Manchester United at the weekend, Wenger lamented the latest setback to his squad.

"We lost Van Persie on Sunday and now we have lost Hleb," Wenger told the club's official website.

More on skysports.