Football: Numan follows coach to Rangers

RANGERS yesterday began their summer rebuilding programme by agreeing to pay a reported pounds 5m for PSV Eindhoven's Dutch international defender, Arthur Numan

The 29-year-old left-back, who is expected to be a starter for the Netherlands at the World Cup, is following the PSV coach, Dick Advocaat, who is replacing Walter Smith at Ibrox, to Scotland.

"This is my first buy for Rangers and there will be a minimum of three others - maybe from Holland or maybe from other countries," Advocaat said.

Not so happy was the PSV chairman, Harry van Raay. He said: "I am disappointed because Numan has chosen to go to Rangers, which I cannot understand. If I was a player, I would not have chosen Scotland for my career."

Juninho, Atletico Madrid's former Middlesbrough midfielder, yesterday expressed his frustration over his omission from Brazil's World Cup squad.

Brazil's coach, Mario Zagallo, said on Tuesday when naming the squad that he was concerned about Juninho's fitness after a three-month absence following a broken ankle suffered in early February.

However, yesterday Juninho said: "I have totally recovered. I did everything I could to be ready to play in the World Cup.

"There are certain players who do not maintain good discipline and yet bag all the prizes going. I am going to have to reflect whether it's worth having that discipline or not."

Ron Noades, the Crystal Palace chairman, has helped pave the way for the completion of the sale of the club to Mark Goldberg by loaning him money to buy the freehold to Selhurst Park, which Goldberg needs as security on Palace's pounds 5m overdraft. Noades said yesterday that he had received invitations to buy four other clubs, including Brentford.

Seven Chelsea first-team players were yesterday still receiving treatment on injuries that are threatening their involvement in Sunday's relegation decider against Bolton at Stamford Bridge.

Just a week before the European Cup-Winners' Cup final against VfB Stuttgart, Franck Leboeuf, Gianfranco Zola, Frank Sinclair, Michael Duberry, Dennis Wise, Graeme Le Saux and Andy Myers are all on the treatment table.