Defoe Could Play Against Young Boys But Will Miss Euro Qualifiers

Tottenham and England striker Jermain Defoe could play through injury in tonight’s Champions League qualifying clash with Young Boys but will miss England’s first two Euro 2012 qualifiers with a groin strain.

Defoe has been nagged by injury since the World Cup and will undergo surgery sometime next week. Spurs expect the striker to be out for close to a month but will play through pain tonight.

“He’s not trained a lot,” said Spurs manager Harry Redknapp. “When he has trained, he’s been all right, he’s been sticking goals in. But then he’s had days off where he couldn’t train. And he’s getting worse, he’s getting worse all the time. Sixty minutes is about as much as he can last.”

MacDonald Given Two Games To Secure Villa Coaching Job

Interim Aston Villa manager Kevin MacDonald has been given two matches to convince Randy Lerner that he is the right man to take over the club on a full-time basis.

MacDonald followed his opening-day, 3-0 victory against West Ham with a 6-0 thumping by Newcastle over the weekend. Lerner and the rest of the Villa board have chosen to view the defeat as an anomaly and will give MacDonald a chance to redeem himself. If the Scottish manager is unsuccessful Lerner is likely to turn to Sven-Goran Eriksson or USA coach Bob Bradley, both of whom have expressed interest in the job.

Villa’s next two fixtures are a Europa League qualifying clash with Rapids on Thursday and a home matchup against Everton on Sunday

Taylor Set To Leave Newcastle

Newcastle defender Steven Taylor will be put on the transfer market after he and the club failed to reach a new deal.

The 24-year-old’s contract runs out at the end of the season and the Magpies didn’t want to lose him on a free transfer. “We can confirm that Steven Taylor is on the transfer list,” a club spokesman said. Owner Mike Ashley is known for his conservation in regards to wage bills and is not likely to renegotiate Taylor’s contract.

Liverpool and Chelsea are the most likely destinations for Taylor, who is still recovering from shoulder surgery.