Impatient clubs are costing young managers the chance to establish themselves in the English Premier League, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.
Wenger, who according to his club has seen 107 Premier League bosses lose their jobs during his 12 years in north London, pointed to this season's departures of 37-year-old Roy Keane, Paul Ince (41) and Tony Adams (42).
"That is not just anybody... that is three massive personalities," Wenger said.
"It is difficult for me to assess these situations but the global situation makes it difficult for young managers to come through now.
"All of them had a different way into their jobs but each faced the same impatience."
Rooney should be fit for weekend
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney should be fit for Saturday's Premier League match at home to Blackburn Rovers after being out of action for a month with a hamstring injury, manager Alex Ferguson said.
"Wayne should be ready for Saturday's game against Blackburn, we're quite confident of that, and he may have a slight chance of being fit for a place on the bench on Wednesday (tomorrow) for the game at home to Fulham," Ferguson was quoted as saying.
Rooney picked up the injury after scoring the winner in the 1-0 victory over Wigan on Jan. 14.
Solano scores on Peru return
Nolberto Solano celebrated his return to Peru by scoring twice for Universitario in a 2-1 win at Alianza Atletico on Sunday.
The former Newcastle, Aston Villa and West Ham midfielder gave Universitario a winning start as the 2009 championship kicked off amid controversy over ineligible players.
Jonathan Rodriguez gave Alianza Atletico a 55th minute lead but Solano levelled two minutes later and scored the winner from a penalty in the 64th minute.
Solano also scored on his debut for Universitario last Wednesday, when they lost 2-1 away to Libertad of Paraguay in the Libertadores Cup.
Solano's signing for Universitario was a major coup and raised eyebrows as the club were plagued by financial problems last year.
Saudi chiefs deny Scolari links
Saudi football chiefs have denied media reports saying Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari, who was sacked last week as boss of Chelsea, was being lined up to take over the country's national team.
"These reports are not true. Yes, we are looking for a new coach to start immediately, but it will not be Scolari," Faisal al Abdulhadi, secretary-general of the Saudi Arabian soccer federation, said.
Nasser al Johar resigned in the wake of the 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat last week to North Korea, which left the Saudis second from bottom in Asian qualifying Group Two.
Voronin wants to stay at Hertha
Andriy Voronin is currently engaged in talks with Hertha Berlin to extend his playing days in the Bundesliga after his loan spell from Liverpool is over.
The Ukrainian scored twice in the 2-1 win over Bayern Munich last Saturday which sent Hertha top of the standings.
Reports said Voronin met with club officials on Sunday to discuss the possibility of him staying in Germany beyond the end of the campaign.
"Yes, we have spoken for the first time," Voronin said.
"It was a good talk. I think we are on a positive path."
Fan pressure getting to Drenthe
Real Madrid winger Royston Drenthe was left out of the last three squads at his own request after being heckled by home fans, coach Juande Ramos has said.
"Drenthe's suffering from anxiety. He's a young lad who needs all the support of the people who work with him," Ramos said.
"As his coach I will do all I can to help him because he has a lot of potential."
The Dutch youth international, 21, was whistled and mocked by Real fans during their 1-0 home win over Deportivo on Jan. 25, and was visibly upset after the game.
He was left out of the squads against Numancia, Racing Santander and Sporting Gijon and last Friday appealed to his own fans to get behind him.
Rovers scouts monitoring Zigic
Blackburn Rovers scouts were in Spain last weekend to watch towering striker Nikola Zigic, 28, in action as reports said the Ewood Park outfit could make a bid for the Serb's services in summer.
Zigic, seen by many Premier League clubs as an ideal signing with his big frame well-suited to the English game, is currently on loan at Racing Santander from La Liga rivals Valencia.
Valencia's asking price of £9 million is unlikely to deter potential buyers.
"We are open to negotiations," confirmed Valencia's sporting director Fernando Gomez.
"We think Zigic could be good in England."