EVERTON CASH PRIZE IF UNITED GET TREBLE

From the Guardian

Everton will benefit by £1.65m if Wayne Rooney and Manchester United end the season having secured a treble success in the Premiership, FA Cup and Champions League.

The England striker moved from Goodison Park to Old Trafford in the summer of 2004 for an initial fee of £20m but the terms of the deal include bonus payments of up to £7m. Some £23m has now been paid to the Merseyside club even though none of the clauses relating to the securing of honours has as yet been activated.

That could change in the next few weeks as United attempt to secure their first Premiership title since 2003 and meet Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley next month. Those honours would earn Everton £500,000 and £150,000 respectively, with another £1m due should Sir Alex Ferguson's side edge beyond Milan in the Champions League semi-finals and go on to lift the trophy in Athens against either Liverpool or Chelsea on May 23. Should United lose in Greece, Everton would still benefit by £500,000.

The total could rise to £7m depending on events up until 2009.

Everton will receive £3m even if none of these events occurs provided Rooney, 21, remains registered with United until June 30 2007, and if United sell him Everton will receive 25% of any sum received by the Old Trafford club in excess of all amounts paid under this agreement.

Manchester United have sent Louis Saha to see a specialist amid growing concerns at Old Trafford about their injury list. Although most of Ferguson's problems are in defence, the United manager has become increasingly concerned by Saha's inability to recover from a recurrent hamstring strain that has limited him to four starts since the turn of the year.

Saha was a virtual ever-present for the opening half of the season but has not begun a match since February 27, when United beat Reading 3-2 in an FA Cup fifth-round replay, and the club's medical staff are uncertain about how much part, if any, the Frenchman will be able to take in the remaining few weeks of the season.

The better news for the Premiership leaders is that Rio Ferdinand and John O'Shea hope to be available for Saturday's game at home to Middlesbrough. However, Ferguson is without Nemanja Vidic until mid-May because of a broken collarbone, Gary Neville is still recovering from a groin strain and Patrice Evra faces extensive treatment for a calf injury if he is to be available for Milan's visit to Old Trafford on Tuesday in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. There are also concerns that Park Ji-sung's season may be over because of a knee injury.

What Everton gets

Champions League

Winners £1m, runners-up £0.5m

Premiership

Winners £0.5m, runners-up £0.25m

FA Cup

Winners £0.15m

Contract extension

£1.5m

England

20 caps £0.5m; further 20 caps £0.5m

Payable until 2009