He said his team will have learned much from competing with world-class players and, though he did not say it, so will he.Graham's tactics have been a significant factor in Arsenal's European success but, although his 4-1-4-1 formation originally foxed Milan, neither he nor his team had an answer when Capello pulled Savicevic deep and pushed Zvonimir Boban forward.On the plus side, Arsenal's travelling support were well-behaved. Two months ago, Milan scrambled their way out of the Champions' League and looked jaded and vulnerable. Now they are moving towards the form which won them the trophy last May.Dejan Savicevic stood out with his cushioned touch and crisp, intuitive passing, but his was one of many excellent performances from a Milan side replete with still-hungry internationals.Milan's millionaires, for all their artistry and flair, are prepared to work like lower-division labourers. Daniele Massaro epitomised the creed when, soon after scoring the decisive second goal on 64 minutes, he chased back 30 yards to close down and tackle Ray Parlour, a fresh substitute already pressured by two Milan players.It was Milan's eighth trophy under Fabio Capello, eclipsing the record of his predecessor, Arrigo Sacchi. "The mentality of this great club is passed on from the older players to the younger players, so they learn self-sacrifice and how to fight for every trophy they go for," said the Milan coach.However, he was not getting carried away by brushing aside a team so short of form and fluency as Arsenal, and added: "We are still two months behind where we should be."George Graham, his Arsenal counterpart, could only purr in admiration. The European Super Cup figured low in Milan's priorities this season, but the manner in which the European champions won it will have given the pretenders to their crown much to ponder. Benfica, who meet Milan next month in the quarter-finals of this season's Champions' Cup, will be more concerned than most. While Arsenal attempt to come to terms with the way Milan exposed their limitations in the San Siro on Wednesday night, the rest of Europe have been reassessing their opinion of their victorious opponents.

Parker settled personal terms, but then Little claimed McGhee demanded new terms for the transferafter a deal - thought to be £600,000 - had been agreed.Birmingham are interested in the Coventry striker, Mick Quinn, who is available on a free transfer, while Crystal Palace have signed the 17-year-old midfielder, Bjorn Enqvist, from the Swedish club, Malmo.. It swelled alarmingly during the Premiership match against Southampton, and even though fluid was drained over the weekend, he will not play.The Tottenham striker, Jurgen Klinsmann, could become the new captain of Germany following an injury to Lothar Matthaus. Klinsmann and Jurgen Kohler are the main candidates to take over from Matthaus, who has ruptured his Achilles tendon.The Aston Villa manager, Brian Little, has hit out at his Leicester successor, Mark McGhee, following the collapse of Garry Parker's move to Filbert Street. The Welsh winger resumed light training yesterday, but his knee, injured against Aston Villa last Saturday, is still painful.A knee injury will also force out the City goalkeeper, Tony Coton.

"There was certainly no date arranged for him to report for interviews before he left."United are resigned to losing Ryan Giggs for the Manchester derby at Maine Road tomorrow. Officers wanted to interview the French striker about his attack on a Crystal Palace supporter at Selhurst Park, but although his team-mate, Paul Ince, turned up to answer questions about an alleged assault on another fan, Cantona failed to show.Ferguson said that Cantona was on holiday in Antigua and that police were told last week that he would not be in the country "Eric has not run away or disappeared," he added. Newcastle have also been weighing up an offer. Graham added: "He is a player I like very much, a fast, skilful winger, but there are a few problems to be ironed out before we can complete a deal."Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, yesterday blamed a breakdown in communication for the non- appearance of Eric Cantona at a London police station on Wednesday. The 26-year-old has a clause in his contract with Vitesse allowing him to leave at the end of next season for a cut-price £350,000, which would enable him to negotiate a lucrative signing-on fee with any would-be buyers.

I don't think he will be playing for us again." The problem seems certain to be Helder's personal demands. After talks with the player in London, George Graham, the Arsenal manager, was forced to admit: "There are one or two stumbl ing blocks to be overcome." That came as a surprise to Helder's club, Vitesse Arnhem, who are believed to have accepted Graham's £2.3m offer Their coach, Herbert Neumann, said: "Helder has gone. Arsenal's attempt to sign the Dutch winger, Glenn Helder, in time for tomorrow's game with Leicester foundered last night. The 36-year-old Scot will contest the marathon after finishing fourth in the Commonwealth Games in Victoria.. Karen Macleod has become the first British woman to be pre-selected for the World Championships in Gothenburg in August. With the Jamaican sprinter Aston Morgan, the Lithuanian Dalia Matuseviciene and Freddy Fernando Caiza of Ecuador, they face possible four-year bans. Two Americans - the discus thrower Michael Gravelle and heptathlete Gea Johnson, are among five athletes suspended after positive drugs tests, the IAAF confirmed yesterday.

But it would be nice to encourage Asian children by giving them a taste of the game in the hope that they would then move on to a club."People are very aware of trying to get everybody involved and there may well be some youngsters in the system now who eventually come through to the top. It's a question of time."It's a process of giving them an opportunity to have a go, and that applies to all children because we're hoping to offer the sport to everybody.". What you have to take into consideration is that possibly the game is still quite new to Asians."The biggest problem sometimes is that it's fine while you're doing the work in the schools but then it's a question of making it easy for the kids to get to their local club."To be honest, my job is rugby youth development for anybody who wants to play, rather than targeting one particular angle. One of the problems here possibly could be that there are only three clubs in the city at present."I do believe that though the game has become faster it is still designed for all shapes and sizes and there is normally a position to suit everybody. "I do quite a lot of work in the city generating interest, some of it among schools with a large number of Asian pupils."The work, though, is not aimed at any particular group. Enter Tom Smith, the lock who can count Kardooni among his team-mates at Leicester and who is also the RFU's youth development officer in the county.Smith, working in an area containing a large Asian population, is at the sharp end of attempts to spread the rugby union gospel. All the schools that play rugby will have Asians playing in their teams and they'll be taught the game."It is a question, then, of persevering.