ANGRY Newcastle United boss Bobby Robson has hit out at renewed talk of Kieron Dyer making a summer move to Manchester United.

Magpies' chairman Freddy Shepherd has assured Robson there is no need to sacrifice £20m-rated Dyer to generate transfer funds.

But rumours persist that the champions are weighing up a close-season swoop - with Dwight Yorke the bait in a part exchange deal.

Yorke has fallen from favour with Sir Alex Ferguson and the Old Trafford boss is said to be ready to cash in on the former Aston Villa striker.

But Newcastle refuse to ponder any transfer equation involving England starlet Dyer, who is out until next season after undergoing surgery for a shin stress fracture.

"Who creates the speculation? It's not us and it's not Alex Ferguson,'' snapped Robson.

The Newcastle manager, however, wants to add to his attacking options after a frustrating season beset by frontline problems.

Robson believes long-term injuries to strike duo Alan Shearer and Carl Cort are the chief reasons behind the Magpies' failure to challenge for honours.

"Generally-speaking, our frontline has been in the hands of all sorts of different combinations,'' said Robson.

"We began the season with Shearer and Cort, but they only started three Premiership games together before Cort was out with his hamstring injury.

"We ended up with Shearer and Dyer up front - and Dyer is an attacking midfield player. Alan went out with his tendinitis in his knee and we brought in Shola Ameobi, who's only 19 and started the season in our youth academy.

"Then we lost Dyer with his shin problems, so we had Ameobi and Kevin Gallacher, who's 34 and had been out injured for three months.

"We've had Cort with Ameobi and now it's Cort and Gallacher.

"So we haven't had the best of combinations all season and if people ask why we haven't been scoring enough goals, there's your answer.

"Cort has come back after seven months out and scored three goals in five games - and he had one disallowed!''

England Under-21 international Cort, signed from Wimbledon last summer for £7m, endorsed Robson's opinion.

He said: "If Alan Shearer plays a full season, he always scores 20 or 30 goals, and I felt I would improve on my 17 for Wimbledon last season.

"The manager thinks we could have scored 50 goals between us if we'd both been fit this season.''

* Craig Midgley was on target for Hartlepool United reserves in their 1-1 draw at Notts County yesterday, writes NICK LOUGHLIN.

The front man - a substitute against Scunthorpe last Saturday - netted a close-range header on 85 minutes.

But the home side still found time to level when Martin Hollund and Gary Strodder collided and despite the best-efforts of defender Neil Aspin the ball rolled into the unguarded net. Pool keeper Martin Hollund saved a first-half penalty, but his side were without flu victim Jermaine Easter.

Coach Colin West handed a third outing to on-trial Hibernian right-back Colin Morton and he admitted: "We should have won the game easily but just didn't take our chances. The back three (Simms, Strodder and Aspin) did well as did Andy Brownrigg in midfield.''

Pool: Hollund, Morton, Aspin, Strodder, Simms, Robinson, Fitzpatrick, Brownrigg, McAvoy, Midgley, Sweeney

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