NOLBERTO SOLANO today bids to upstage David Beckham in a battle of the wing wonders at St. James' Park.

Peruvian Solano has been compared to England star Beckham and gets the chance to show why when Newcastle take on Manchester United.

The stunning 30-yard free-kick Solano executed in the 2-1 Boxing Day win over Leeds bore all the hallmarks of Beckham.

Solano, flattered by the comparisons, yesterday placed the Old Trafford hero in the same bracket as Brazilian Rivaldo.

He said: "Like Rivaldo, he's a special player. I know him and I like him and I am happy when my name is linked with his.

"But I don't try to follow him and I don't play so that people can compare me to him. I do it for myself and for the team."

Newcastle boss Bobby Robson is looking to the likes of Solano to provide inspiration while Alan Shearer is sidelined.

Robson said: "Beckham is a brilliant player - so clever he doesn't even have to beat his man - and I can't think of anybody better in our game.

"But Nobby is very close to him. They are both free-kick specialists, both right-footed, both confident and both lovely crossers of the ball.

"We will be sitting down with Nobby to discuss an extension of his contract, even though it still has 18 months to run.

"We want him to stay because he is one of our blue chip players and he has intimated he is happy here.

"He is in a better frame of mind because he is no longer flying off to play internationals for Peru and suffering jet-lag.

"He was away for six months last season while we paid his wages, but I think he's finished with Peru now. I think he can see that we can put together a team to match the stadium here."

Solano has shelved talks on a new £1.4m-a-year deal and insisted: "I've left all that to my agent. I don't like talking about money but I am happy here. Newcastle is a fantastic club and I want to help them win something.

"We have been very unlucky with injuries and it's a big blow to lose players of the stature of Alan Shearer and Rob Lee. But it's up to everybody in the team to ensure we don't miss them too much.

"We are disappointed, but we stick together and the spirit is good. I am very pleased for my fellow South Americans, Christian Bassedas and Clarence Acuna.

"I have told them it took me a season to settle in English football. But they both played really well against Leeds and we are all fighting for the club."

Solano is also happy that teenage discovery Shola Ameobi is likely to start against the champions, only four days after celebrating his first senior start by giving Rio Ferdinand a tough time.

Ameobi, 19, will be pitched in while Robson battles with chairman Freddy Shepherd for funds to buy an experienced striker to fill the void left by the absence of Shearer and £7m Carl Cort.

Solano said: "He did very well on Boxing Day and sometimes you need big guys up front. It's good for me to have somebody fighting for crosses."

Robson also praised the Nigerian-born forward, but made it clear he is still pushing to strengthen the squad, despite refusing to discuss whether Gilles de Bilde, Pierre van Hooijdonk or Clinton Morrison could eventually arrive on Tyneside.

Shepherd is keeping a tight hold on the purse strings while doubt remains over the future of the transfer system.

"Nobody can accuse this board of being skinflints because we have spent £200m in the ten years I've been a director," stressed Shepherd.

"But I can't spend big money that belongs to our shareholders and fans in a market which is in danger of collapsing at any time. Bobby understands my reasoning but he is unhappy with it and I wouldn't expect anything else."

Robson, however, is looking to make a breakthrough on the loan front.

"Shola isn't fazed by anything," he said. "He's 6ft 2in and a handful in the air. He's vital to us in the absence of Shearer.

"But it's asking a lot of the boy to play against Manchester United, Spurs and Aston Villa in the space of a few days and that's why we are still looking."

Newcastle beat Manchester United 3-0 at St. James' last season when Shearer and Duncan Ferguson combined to destroy Alex Ferguson's side.

But even without such forward power, Robson maintained: "If we can reproduce the form we showed in the Leeds game, we stand a chance against the best side in Britain and we can give our fans another match to remember."

Keeper Shay Given passed a fitness test yesterday and could return