Football news

Arsenal are planning to leave captain Thierry Henry out of their squad for next week's League Cup final against Chelsea in Cardiff.

"Thierry will not be involved as it would not be fair to play the big players in the final," manager Arsene Wenger said yesterday.

"I will play the players who have played in the whole campaign. He (Henry) has known from the start he would not be involved."

Wenger has used this season's League Cup to blood his less experienced players.

"Youngsters like (teenage Brazilian midfielder) Denilson have played in the League Cup and learnt from it and gained experience," the French coach said. "I say today he (Henry) will not play on Feb. 25 but if we have three injuries he will play. You can never say never in our job."

Emile Mpenza joins Man. City

Belgium striker Emile Mpenza has joined Manchester City on loan until the end of the season, the Premier League club said on their Web site .

The 28-year-old has signed from Al Rayyan in Qatar but cannot make his debut at Preston North End in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday because he is awaiting international clearance.

Mpenza, who has scored 17 goals in 47 internationals, has also played for Schalke 04, Standard Liege and Hamburg SV.

Juventus keen on Luisao

Benfica defender Luisao has been linked with a move to Juventus in the summer despite signing a contract to keep him at the club until 2011.

Juventus have made contact with Benfica over the sale of the Brazilian defender but Luisao says he was not approached by the Italian club.

"Juventus is a big club," he said. "But I am concentrating on a successful campaign in the Portuguese League and the UEFA Cup with Benfica.

"It is normal for any player to want to try playing in different leagues. At the moment I am concentrating on winning the Portuguese league."

Abramovich 'committed' to Blues

Chelsea assistant boss Steve Clarke has insisted that owner Roman Abramovich is not losing interest in the club.

The Russian billionaire has not attended any of Chelsea's last six matches, leading to speculation that he could be considering his position.

But after yesterday's FA Cup win over Norwich, Clarke said: "Roman has been on business. He is back now and we were delighted to see him at the match.

"There is no question he is committed to Chelsea."

Ruud speaks on Ferguson's spat

Ruud van Nistelrooy has again spoken of his departure from Manchester United, saying that Old Trafford boss Sir Alex Ferguson "kicked his soul".

Van Nistelrooy was left out of United's Carling Cup final team against Wigan last year and was unable to deal with the snub.

"I exploded and clashed with Ferguson because I felt he had kicked my soul," revealed Van Nistelrooy.

"That was the moment things died and could never be the same again."

Van Nistelrooy, who left Old Trafford and moved to Real Madrid in the summer, said it was particularly hard to take because prior to that point he had had a great relationship with Ferguson.

Pedersen wants to stay at Bolton

Henrik Pedersen has hinted he is keen to extend his current deal with Bolton Wanderers.

The Danish player has played just 15 games in the Premiership this season but has proved to be immensely useful for Sam Allardyce having filled in at left-back as well as his favoured forward role.

Whilst Pedersen is yet to hear from The Trotters regarding the possibility of a new deal, the 31-year-old is ready to commit his future to the Premiership's fifth-placed side.

"They (Bolton) haven't returned yet, but in all the years I have been at the club they have always waited for a long time to extend contracts," Pedersen told Ekstra Bladet.

'Beckham must forget England' - Shearer

Former England captain Alan Shearer has told David Beckham he should forget about changing Steve McClaren's mind and accept his international career is over.

The Real Madrid winger, who will move to Major League Soccer outfit Los Angeles Galaxy at the end of the season, has been left in the cold by McClaren since he took over from Sven-Goran Eriksson but has not formally retired.

McClaren has frequently said the door is not closed for the midfielder to make a return to the England fold, but Shearer believes he will not add to his 94 caps.

"I think Steve McClaren has made his decision and he will stick to it. I do not believe David Beckham will ever play for England again - that's it. Steve has decided he wants pace and power on the right side. That is why he has gone for Aaron Lennon or Steven Gerrard."

Nigeria coach Vogts hires Haessler

Nigeria's German coach Berti Vogts said yesterday he had hired former Germany midfielder Thomas Haessler as assistant coach.

"Thomas has a great reputation around the world, especially in Africa, because he had great skill around the ball," Vogts told Bild newspaper.

Haessler, a free kick specialist, will also keep his assistant job at second division side Cologne.