Sounds more like he wants clarification on his future. He's back running and kicking a ball lightly so he sounds about eady for a run out in our first team!

BRIDGES PLEDGES FUTURE TO LEEDS by Peter O`Rourke

LEEDS UNITED ace Michael Bridges has pledeged his future to the Elland Road club in the hope that it will end all talk of him leaving. The 22-year-old striker, who is recovering from a serious ankle-ligament injury picked up in November, has been the subject of constant speculation linking him with a move to hometown club Newcastle United in the summer, but has dismissed these as just rumours.

The former Sunderland star, who finished as the Whites' top scorer in his first season after his £5 million move from the Stadium of Light, has admitted that he is keen to make a return to fitness and fight for his place in the Leeds side.

"Ever since the newspapers started running stories that Newcastle wanted me I've had people coming up to me up there and down here asking where I am going," Bridges told the Leeds matchday programme.

"I am just treating it as newspaper talk because I've heard nothing official at all. I'm injured at the moment so nobody is going to sign me and anyway I don't want to leave Leeds.

"I am happy here, the squad has been strengthened by the arrival of Rio Fedinand and Robbie Keane, and over the last few weeks everything has started to gel, so why would I want to leave? If I've been sold I don't know about it."

Bridges also admitted that he faced a task to regain his place in the team once he did return to fitness with the amount of competition for front places at the club with Mark Viduka, Alan Smith and Keane all vying for places.

"That kind of competition is what we want at the club if we are going to be successful," said Bridges."Look at Manchester United and the number of top quality strikers in their squad."

The former England Under-21 star, who is set to not return until next season revealed that his recovery has been going well.

"I have come on a treat recently," said Bridges. "I've started running again and I'm kicking a ball at last - not so much striking it as doing the odd bit of passing with our physio Dave Hancock and fitness physio Alan Sutton.

"That's a big step from just doing swimming sessions.

"The more I do on my ankle the better it feels because if it stiffens up I've had it," added Bridges.

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

Answers

We'll be signing him next week, then?

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

Perhaps he's just trying to remind DOL that he still exists.
Time, as they say, will tell.

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2001

I've just been speaking to a guy who insists that he has heard from the horses mouth that Robson is sick of Dyers antics and has talked to O'leary about the possibility of a swap with Bridges (plus cash). It all hinges on the fitnesses of both players. If this is the case how much differance do you think therein the two players? And would you mind if the deal went through.

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2001

At least £10 million. I don't believe the story about Robson wanting rid of Dyer but if it's true then we should accept nothing less than Bridges, Harte plus £5 million.

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2001

Difficult valuation thing.

Bridges scored a dozen Premiership goals in his first season at 20 years old. A good case could be made for wanting a lot of money for him. There is probably not mush to choose between him and Robbie Keane ?

Dyer has more pace than any other midfielder of his age. He's capped at 22 and the future looks bright. He's got dodgy shins. He plays hot and cold but that could still be his age.

If we got Harte + Bridges for him I'd be ecstatic. I'd rather we bought Harte and Bridges to complement him, then I'd even more ecstatic.

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2001

That's close to my thoughts macbeth - an exchange deal doesn't really take our squad forward, and it's not as though they are similar kinds of players.

If Leeds are looking to off-load Bridges, it may well be that they are either not happy with his injury record, or they need to offer him as a make-weight in any deal to lure YKD away from SJP.
Either answer raises concerns.

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2001

If LKD is a disruptive influence, what impact would that have on the rest of the squad? In purely footballing ability, I'd hate to see him go. But if it got rid of a disruptive influence, allowed better balance in the side, and got Bridges and Harte (nee chance) I'd be as happy as MacBeth.

But I wonder if there's other disruptive influences around..................?

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2001