Lula headlines 2007 crop of U-17 stars

Landon Donovan, Cesc Fabregas and Anderson are just some of today’s leading players who made their initial impact at the U-17 World Cup.

This year’s tournament in Korea (which runs from Aug. 18 — Sept. 9) again will provide a good indication of soccer’s next crop of young talent.

The players will experience heavy rainfall during Korea’s summer, but a couple of eye-catching performances could see them showered in the glory and wealth of the world’s top leagues.

Here’s my pick for the top 10 players at this year’s tournament.

Everton to seal Fernandes signing

Everton boss David Moyes is hopeful Portuguese midfielder Manuel Fernandes will be part of his squad “within the next 24 hours”. The 21-year-old arrived in Britain on Thursday with a view to completing a £6m move from Benfica.

Moyes said: “He had the first part of his medical and that will be completed on Friday.”

The Everton boss added: “I would then expect him to become an Everton player within the next 24 hours.”

The move will not been completed in time for the Portugal Under-21 player to acquire international clearance to be involved in Saturday’s match at Reading.

Everton have also had to gain clearance from the Premier League over the signing because Fernandes is part-owned by a third party, the Global Sports Agency.

Bentley defends England pull-out

Blackburn forward David Bentley says he does not regret withdrawing from England’s Under-21 side even though it has cost him a senior call-up.

Bentley withdrew from the squad for the summer’s Uefa U21 championships citing fatigue and as a result will not be in the squad to face Germany on 22 August.

“I knew there would be consequences to my decision in the summer,” he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

“I made it to hopefully further my England career rather than shorten it.”

Bentley was informed of the decision by coach Steve McClaren ahead of the squad announcement, and the player said he admired the way McClaren had handled the situation.

Fergie: Ronaldo in danger of getting kicked out of football

Alex Ferguson has launched a stinging attack on “weak referees” who are putting Cristiano Ronaldo at risk of sustaining serious injury.

The double footballer of the year starts a three-match ban after being sent off for violent conduct at Portsmouth on Wednesday.

The Manchester United boss has no complaint about the red card but believes his player was provoked by heavy challenges that went unpunished by referee Steve Bennett.

Ferguson said today: “My fear is, and I don’t whether there is a directive, but maybe referees are a bit more tolerant of physical contact. I’ve noticed in the past few months – late challenges are going unpunished. I thought these were black and white. Late challenges are not allowed.