The Times:
Rio Ferdinand will have another scan today to discover whether he will be fit to play in England's Euro 2008 qualifying matches against Andorra and Macedonia after an initial X-ray on his toe showed bruising rather than a break.
Initially feared to have fractured a metatarsal in Manchester United's 2-1 win at Watford on Saturday, the defender is hoping that the injury to his little toe is far less serious. A club spokesman said there was "no conclusive evidence of a fracture", although further tests are required before he can be cleared to meet up with the rest of the international squad in Manchester tomorrow. If he is ruled out, Steve McClaren is likely to turn to Michael Dawson, the Tottenham Hotspur centre half, to partner John Terry on Saturday with Wes Brown also in contention.
The Guardian:
Steve McClaren faces an acid test of his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson after x-rays revealed yesterday that Rio Ferdinand did not, as first thought, break a toe in Saturday's 2-1 win against Watford.
Ferguson had ruled the defender out of England's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Andorra on Saturday and Macedonia the following Wednesday, but United's initial tests show "no conclusive evidence of fracture". Ferdinand will undergo a second scan today but, as it stands, he is not thought to have anything more serious than a badly bruised little toe.
McClaren would therefore be within his rights to expect him to report for duty with the rest of the squad but, having once worked as Ferguson's assistant manager at Old Trafford, he will be acutely aware it is not that straightforward.
The England head coach will be loath to go into his first competitive fixtures without one of his first-choice centre-halves, but he would be equally reluctant to get embroiled in a disagreement with Ferguson so soon after replacing Sven-Goran Eriksson. The matter may need some delicate negotiations, although it helps McClaren that the two men generally get on well.
The Telegraph:
Fears that Rio Ferdinand was the latest England star to fall victim to the curse of the metatarsal receded last night as a scan revealed "no conclusive evidence" of a fracture to the Manchester United defender's toe.
The 27-year-old injured his foot while clearing the ball in United's 2-1 win at Watford on Saturday.
After the match Sir Alex Ferguson cast doubt on his chances of recovering in time for England's Euro 2008 qualifier against Andorra at Old Trafford on Saturday, and the trip to Macedonia the following Wednesday.
But after a scan yesterday there was a major boost for Ferguson and new England manager Steve McClaren, as tests showed he had only suffered bruising to the little toe of his right foot.
He remains a doubt for McClaren's first two competitive games in charge of the national team, but for now Ferdinand has not been pulled out of the squad. He will have his foot reassessed today before a final decision is made on whether to allow him to join England later in the week.