Roy Keane last night admitted Manchester United have lost their fear factor and can no longer intimidate opponents.

The United skipper conceded Sir Alex Ferguson’s side do not have the aura of invincibility which saw them storm to eight Premiership titles in the last 12 years.

He said: "Look at Arsenal and maybe Chelsea to a certain degree – they seem to have that mentality where they don’t look as though they are going to be beaten. Teams playing us think they have a chance now." (Mirror, Sun)

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Sam Allardyce has admitted that he came close to taking the Newcastle manager’s job – and that he may live to regret staying loyal to Bolton.

Allardyce confirmed the approach to become Sir Bobby Robson’s successor last week had left him with an agonising career decision.

He said: "There was an approach from Newcastle last week and Bolton came quite close to losing me. It crossed my mind that it could be my last chance of a shot at managing a big club. I don’t know whether I have made the right decision – only time will tell." (Daily Express)

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The Sun claims Patrick Kluivert has clashed with Graeme Souness – even before he officially starts work.

Newcastle boss Souness apparently wanted the Dutch striker to play against Wolves reserves on Tuesday.

But Kluivert failed to turn up despite being told by staff he was in the party for the Wolves trip. Souness was reportedly not impressed with his no-show and will demand talks with Kluivert when he starts work next week.

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Blackburn players are pressing the Ewood Park board to make Mark Hughes their No.1 target to replace Graeme Souness as manager.

Defender Craig Short declared that Wales manager Hughes is the choice of the dressing-room and he believes the players should have an active role in the selection process.

Short said: "He (Hughes) is the popular choice in the dressing-room. I know players don’t end up choosing managers, but sometimes maybe they should." (Daily Mail)

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West Ham boss Alan Pardew believes Jermain Defoe can be just as good for England as Wayne Rooney.

Pardew, who was reluctantly forced to see Defoe go to Tottenham in a £7m deal in January, sees no reason why he cannot become a regular fixture under Sven-Goran Eriksson in the World Cup qualifiers.

"He is one of the top strikers in the country and has already proved that," said Pardew. "Over 46 games he is as good a bet as Rooney." (Daily Star)