Boro and Milan show interest in Heskey

Emile Heskey, the Liverpool striker, is a surprise £5m target for Middlesbrough as his Anfield future becomes increasingly doubtful.

The England forward has been courted by the Boro manager, Steve McClaren, for the past couple of weeks and his offer is close to being tempting. Somewhat surprisingly, however, the European champions, Milan, are trying to take Heskey on loan with a view to a permanent transfer although that is unlikely to succeed in the bid's present form.

However, Liverpool could be tempted to sell Heskey because they have lined up the French international Djibril Cissé in a £12m transfer from Auxerre. Cissé's transfer is set to be completed in the summer but could yet be brought forward if an offer for Heskey becomes too good to refuse.

The row over Trevor Brooking's appointment as the Football Association's director of football development escalated yesterday with fresh criticism from the League Managers' Association.

John Barnwell, the LMA chief executive, confirmed that the organisation has made an official complaint to the FA over the appointment because Brooking does not have the Uefa coaching qualifications required for all Premiership managers. The complaint follows a claim by the Bolton manager, Sam Allardyce, that many managers are unhappy that Brooking will oversee the FA's technical department.

Barnwell said: "We want to know exactly what his role will be. Is he qualified to oversee the technical department? The answer is no. It took Howard Wilkinson 25 years of hard work - obtaining the badges and knowledgeabout the physiological, technological, nutritional and other issues involved in the technical coaching qualification- before he became technical director.

"The FA say that Les Reed is acting technical director - but he is under Brooking. We will be seeking greater clarification from [the FA chief executive] Mark Palios about what exactly Brooking's role is."

Brooking says he obtained a full FA coaching badge while he was a player at West Ham and he had enrolled on the FA's reassessment course for coaches who have the old qualification. before the controversy erupted.

Barnwell dismissed that saying: "The horse has already bolted. The LMA have actively supported Uefa's desire to make these qualifications mandatory. We have insisted that our members, including very senior managers, get the qualifications. Having done that it should come as no surprise that they are concerned at the appointment of someone who has a remit to oversee these procedures but has neither earned these qualifications nor shown any desire to obtain them."