Haaland's case 'strengthened by punishment of Keane'

The lawyer acting for Alf Inge Haaland believes the Football Association's decision to punish Roy Keane for revelations in his autobiography could be beneficial to any legal action Haaland decides to take.

The Norwegian midfielder and his club, Manchester City, are considering taking Keane to court after the United player injured Haaland with a knee-high tackle during the Manchester derby at Old Trafford in April 2001.

On Tuesday, Keane was given a record fine of £150,000 and a five-game ban after being found guilty of two charges of bringing the game into disrepute, and Dag Steinfeldt claims the punishment could strengthen Haaland's case.

"You could say it was positive, but then again, it wasn't unexpected," Steinfeldt said. The lawyer feels they will have to convince the courts that Keane acted intentionally, that Haaland's injury was a direct result of Keane's tackle and that Haaland has suffered financially because of the injury.

Steinfeldt added: "We're working on preparing the lawsuit and, although it's impossible to say when it will happen, I don't think we're too far away. I think it could well happen before the new year."

The United manager Sir Alex Ferguson may step up his pursuit of Julien Escude or Nicolas Burdisso when the transfer window opens at the end of the year, yet the form of two existing players is set to put his search for a striker on hold.

His interest in the French Under-21 international Escude looked set to bear fruit at the start of the season when the full-back expressed his intention to accept the offer of a move to Old Trafford.

However, having spent a British record £29.3m on Rio Ferdinand, United were unwilling to spend another £5m on Escude. However, with Escude's contract due to expire at the end of the season, United could secure him on a free transfer during the summer, a key bargaining chip if Ferguson decides to make a fresh approach in the new year.

The Boca Juniors defender Burdisso remains an alternative after impressing the United manager in a fractious pre-season friendly at Old Trafford in August. "We tried very hard to get Escude and Burdisso from Boca Juniors but they weren't to be," said Ferguson. "We may revisit those in time, but it clearly stated how much we wanted to add to the squad last summer."

A new striker was also on the shopping list, with the departures of Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke to Blackburn. However, the form of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes' effectiveness in a more advanced role mean Ferguson's need to compliment Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Diego Forlan is not so urgent.

"We did make a move for someone in the striking department, but it didn't materialise," said Ferguson. "But, as long as I can keep Scholes and Giggs fit, I've got alternatives up there in different types of games."

Ferguson remains a fan of the transfer window, even though he has had to operate with a reduced squad because of injuries this season. "The transfer window is a good thing, for a start we don't get the same drivel about all the players we are going to sign," he said.