Warnock on collision course with Jamaica over Davis
By Michael Morgan
CLAUDE DAVIS, the Sheffield United defender, is at the centre of a potential club versus country dispute. Neil Warnock, the United manager, is unhappy about the player’s involvement with Jamaica for their friendly against Canada in Kingston on Sunday and has threatened to make him unavailable for his country’s international against Peru on November 15.
That fixture falls only three days before Sheffield United take on Manchester United in the Barclays Premiership at Bramall Lane. Warnock is concerned that Davis will be suffering from jet lag and will be in less than peak condition as he prepares for the daunting challenge of possibly facing up to Wayne Rooney and Louis Saha.
The Jamaican Football Federation has hardly helped its own cause by apparently pushing Davis through a punishing training routine this week. That has not pleased Warnock, who had requested that Davis should be allowed to avoid strenuous training after an injury-interrupted start to his career at Bramall Lane.
Davis, who cost United a club-record fee of £3 million when he joined from Preston North End in July, is still seeking full match fitness after missing the first five games of the season with a knee problem. He was ruled out for six weeks after suffering cartilage damage in a pre-season friendly against Notts County and surgery was required to put the problem right.
The 27-year-old made his league debut for United in their 3-0 defeat by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on September 23. He was a hugely influential figure in helping his side collect their first Premiership win of the campaign against Middlesbrough last Saturday, which hoisted them off the foot of the Premiership table.
Warnock acknowledges the importance of having his top performers fully fit as the club bid to keep hold of the top-flight status they have only just regained after an agonising 12-year exile.
The manager did, however, have something to smile about yesterday with the news that Nick Montgomery, his midfield player, is targeting a return to first-team action away to Manchester City a week tomorrow.
Montgomery has missed five games since making his only first-team start of the season in United’s 1-0 defeat away to Fulham on August 26.
But he proved he has recovered from a knee operation by playing a full 90 minutes for the reserves against Everton’s second string on Wednesday evening
