Sir Alex Ferguson has appeared to have ruled out a move for Frank Lampard during this month's transfer window.
The strength of the Manchester United squad is once again the subject of hot debate among supporters after successive losses to Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United.
Midfield is an obvious area of concern, which has only heightened since the retirement of Paul Scholes and subsequent long-term absences of Tom Cleverley and Darren Fletcher.
And Lampard's name has now started to appear in connection with United.
The veteran England man, 33, does not appear to be a favourite of Andre Villas-Boas, the Chelsea manager, and with 18 months left on his contract, it would appear to be a smart move if United could get him.
"You are not going to tell me Chelsea would sell Frank Lampard to Manchester United in January. Do you really believe that?" Ferguson said.
"There is no foundation to that. Chelsea are like us. They want to do something. The second half of the season is going to be important to them.
"If they want to try and win the league they will need to have all their best players."
Tellingly, Ferguson's comments did not convey a lack of interest, just a belief Chelsea would want to keep Lampard.
United are preparing for Roberto Mancini, the Manchester City manager, to pull a surprise by naming Yaya Toure in his starting line-up for Sunday's FA Cup tie at the Etihad Stadium.
The Ivory Coast management informed City that Toure was required to attend a team meeting in Paris today ahead of a flight to Abu Dhabi for a two-week training camp before the African Nations Cup.
United's Chris Smalling (tonsillitis) is out of Sunday's third-round tie, which is likely to mean Phil Jones partnering Rio Ferdinand in defence.
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs
Price: From Dh529,000
Engine: 5-litre V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 520hp
Torque: 625Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Drivers’ championship standings after Singapore:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 263
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 235
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 212
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 162
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 138
6. Sergio Perez, Force India - 68
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now