Graham Kavanagh has played down suggestions he could link up with Sheffield United following his loan spell with city rivals Sheffield Wednesday.
The midfielder will return to parent club Sunderland after playing for The Owls against Blackpool this weekend.
But reports have claimed he could be swiftly loaned out again, with Blades boss Bryan Robson anxious to sign a midfielder.
Kavanagh has brushed off the rumours, but admits he would be open to a return to Hillsborough if he fails to break back into the Sunderland side.
"That's the first I have heard of any move to Sheffield United, I didn't even know they were supposed to be interested," said Kavanagh in the Yorkshire Post.
"I wouldn't imagine Roy Keane would allow me to go back to Sunderland, with the option of sending me off somewhere else. If that was the case it would have been another month here. I'm sure there are all sorts of rumours going round, but that's all they are. I spoke to the manager (Brian Laws) on Monday when he broke news to me that Roy Keane wanted me back. I said 'look, we will keep our options open'. If in the January transfer window it gets to the point where I haven't been playing at Sunderland, if Brian was to come back in again we would re-assess the situation come the time. I would certainly be interested in returning, it would then be up to the club to make the move happen."
25 10 2007
Brian Laws was left reeling yesterday after seeing the spine of his Sheffield Wednesday team ripped apart.
The Owls manager was already struggling to come to terms with the long-term ankle ligament injury to star striker Francis Jeffers.
But in the aftermath of Tuesday night's home shocker against Scunthorpe United – which saw the Owls concede two goals for the fourth consecutive match and leaves them just one point off the bottom of the Championship after a quarter of the season – Laws was hit by another double blow.
First, centre-half Richard Wood, who was stretchered off against the Iron, has suffered a dislocated shoulder.
Then to cap a miserable week for Laws, Sunderland manager Roy Keane has ignored Wednesday's request to keep on-loan midfield general Graham Kavanagh for a second month as he wants him back on Wearside to help in their relegation battle in the Premier League.
"You always seem to pick up injuries when things aren't going well," said assistant manager Russ Wilcox.
"They are two key players. Everybody is important to the club, but these two are key players for us. You don't want to use injuries as an excuse but we have lost Richard Wood to a shoulder injury and we lost Francis Jeffers on Saturday. When things aren't going well you do seem to pick up injuries but we have enough in the squad to turn it around and we will just have to keep battling away."
In Wood, Kavanagh and Jeffers it is three players who formed the spine of Laws's team. One of Wednesday's main problems this season has been their lack of goals at Hllsborough.
They have scored just three times in six Championship games, including Deon Burton's penalty on Tuesday evening before he was substituted with concussion, and the other two scorers – Jeffers and Wade Small – are out injured.
Laws is hoping talks with chairman Dave Allen will allow him funds to bring in an on-loan striker to boost his firepower, but with performances from the Owls like the first 45 minutes against Sunthorpe, even strikers of the calibre of Wayne Rooney would struggle to get a sniff of goal.
Wilcox criticised his side's work-rate – usually a taboo issue when coaches moan about their players – and said the Iron had been more industrious than the Owls before the break.
"We looked like we worked harder in the second half, but you shouldn't be asking players to work harder, that should be just a natural thing," said the Owls No 2.
"That was disappointing. Once we stepped up the tempo after the break, I thought we dominated the second half. We have got to perform better over 90 minutes. In the first half we never won a second ball, we couldn't just get any tempo, but in the second we won the second ball and that allowed us to play. It's very difficult as a coach or manager to put your finger on what went wrong. We just looked flat in the first half."
Of the three promoted clubs from League One, Wednesday have already lost to two at Hillsborough this season; Scunthorpe joining Bristol City in taking maximum points.
The third side, Blackpool, visit Hillsborough on Saturday and Laws will be desperate to avoid an unwanted hat-trick. It's a massive week for the club," admitted Wilcox.
One piece of good news for Laws, however, is that on-loan central defender Michael Johnson has agreed to stay at Hillsbrough for a further month.
Sheffield United manager Bryan Robson will today attend the launch of a special exhibition at Bramall Lane which celebrates the history of black footballers in Sheffield.
The event, which is organised jointly by the Blades, the "Football Unites, Racism Divides" campaign, and The Hub African-Caribbean Centre based in Sharrow, also includes the launch of a project named in honour of Robson's former West Brom team-mate Laurie Cunningham.
Cunningham, who died in a car accident in July 1989, became the first black player to represent England at international level when he scored for the under-21 side in a 1-0 win over Scotland at Bramall Lane 30 years ago.
04 10 2007
Sunderland midfielder Graham Kavanagh says that he would like to extend his stay at Sheffield Wednesday.
Kavangah's initial one-month loan deal from the Black Cats runs out after the game against Stoke on 20 October.
The 33-year-old told BBC Radio Sheffield: "I feel I'm getting stronger all the time and starting to stamp my influence games. If Wednesday ask me to stay and Sunderland allow it then I'd like to stay because I've enjoyed it here."
