BURNLEY have indicated they are poised to resurrect their interest in Derek Riordan in the summer but Preston have hit out at reports which suggested they would be doing likewise.
Preston manager Alan Irvine said he could not understand why the link had been made. However, it appears his Burnley counterpart Owen Coyle would be happy to make another bid for the player he tried to sign during the January transfer window.
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Celtic fan is aware of the former Scottish Young Player of the Year's natural ability and the goalscoring prowess which allowed him to net 64 goals in 146 appearances while at Hibs, and given a run in the side Coyle knows how prolific he could prove. While Celtic rejected Burnley's £400,000 offer for the forward they signed for less than half that sum at the turn of the year, insisting he remained part of their plans, the player's castigation of Gordon Strachan last week and unwillingness to pay a fine for not attending a supporters club function has led to the player being banished to train with the under-17s.
He has enlisted the backing of PFA Scotland's Fraser Wishart to fight his case, claiming he only missed the event because he had a virus and had been sent home the previous day by the club doctor who didn't want him spreading the infection.
But, having admitted in last weekend's interview with the Scotland on Sunday that he saw no future at the Old Firm club while Strachan remains in charge, should the current management team remain in charge it is believed that the 25-year-old, who made his Scotland debut in 2005 before things turned sour, would be happy to move south in a bid to get his career back on track.
The full article contains 308 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
