Lazio went on to collect their first championship in 26 years.His arrival at United would certainly spice up Sir Alex Ferguson's options. A formidable athlete, blessed with pace and technique, Veron would probably slot in alongside Roy Keane in central midfield. Keane could never be dismissed as a mere ball-winner, but his abrasiveness makes him the ideal foil for Veron.The deal also signals the likelihood that David Beckham will continue to play on the right rather than at the heart of the United side. Like Beckham, Veron is predominantly right-footed but, as befits the son of the sorcerer of La Plata, more than adept with his left.. Manchester United were yesterday attempting to resolve the problems which could prevent them completing the British record signing of Lazio's Argentinian midfielder, Juan Sebastian Veron. Manchester United were yesterday attempting to resolve the problems which could prevent them completing the British record signing of Lazio's Argentinian midfielder, Juan Sebastian Veron. United met Veron's representatives, headed by the Israeli agent, Pinhas Zahavi, in Manchester as they tried to agree personal terms and clarify the situation over his "fake" passport.

While all sides stayed silent, sources close to the deal suggest that a price of £22m has been agreed.Veron has been charged with securing an Italian passport ­ which enabled him to get into Serie A without a work permit ­ by using false documents, which showed that he had Italian ancestry. He is due to appear in an Italian court in October.The Italian football authorities are also investigating the cases of Veron and others players who are alleged to have used illegal passports. Carlo Porceddu, the prosecutor for the Italian football federation, called yesterday for a two-year ban on Veron, Lazio's president, Sergio Cragnotti, and two other club officials. The federation is expected to rule on all the passport cases next week.However, the federation is not obliged to heed the prosecutor's call and Lazio are hoping Veron's case will be dropped if he is sold to a club in another country.

If he is banned in Italy, Fifa, the game's international governing body, is threatening to extend the ban worldwide. Veron, who protests his innocence, can also appeal against any sentence, which would allow him to continue playing football. Veron has enough Argentina caps to qualify for a work permit in England.United were also addressing the potential problem of Veron's personal terms at their meeting yesterday. He earns around £90,000 a week, which would conflict with the Old Trafford wage system, although there could be other ways in which the deal could be structured.. Don't you hate the close season? Football, I'm talking about, obviously. Don't you hate the close season? Football, I'm talking about, obviously. A colleague here is a Crystal Palace fan ­ to call him long-suffering would be both patronising and tautological ­ and, when I asked him the same question, I knew what the answer would be.

He can do without the stress, quite frankly, and summer weekends are a precious chance to chill out with the family. But for me, and, I bet, everyone else not condemned to wearing an eternal replica hairshirt, summer's lovely and all that, but when there's no World Cup or European Championship it's like bedding down in a straw-filled box, it's like the perpetual winter imposed on Narnia by the Witch. So imagine what it was like for the Leeds fan who volunteered to go cold turkey for two weeks at the height of the season for Can You Live Without Football? (Channel 4, Tuesday).Actually, the question should really be: what was he even thinking about, doing the programme in the first place? What did he possibly have to gain, apart from a fortnight of misery? Can You Live With Being A Complete Berk? Judging by his puppyish attempts to squeeze the merest micro-sliver of support out of his wife, that's what it was all about He wanted her to love him a little bit more, bless. Fat chance.His period of purdah ­ which included having the Leeds colours in the hall painted over ­ took in the European Cup quarter-final tie against Deportivo La Coru?As kick-off times approached he tended to get a touch ratty with the five kids ­ count 'em! ­ only one of whom was old enough to be suffering along with him. His friends from down the local were not phoning him in case they said something they weren't supposed to.

"It should be called 'Can You Live Without Your Friends, Family, Everything'," he said. Cut to his pals at the pub propping up a lifesize cut-out of him brandishing a pint ­ "It's the first time we've seen him at the bar for three years."As he began to join in a few family activities, it became obvious that football only keeps him away from the family because he wants it to. "Not my scene at all, I'm afraid," he said as he waited for Natasha's dance class to finish ­ the first time he'd ever taken her there. In the car on the way home, she said: "I don't talk about dancing to him, 'cause he doesn't like it that much and I don't want him to feel unhappy that he has to." Still, by the end of a trip to the park ­ again, his first one unsupervised ­ he looked like any normal dad, thrilling in the simple pleasure of one of the youngest of the brood going down the slide.He made it through to the other side of his Lost Fortnight, but his scowling, miserable wife wasn't impressed.