Thomas Helmer is being offered another chance to carve out a Premiership future at Sunderland.

The German international, ignored by manager Peter Reid after recovering from an Achilles tendon operation last season, was included on the club's retained list yesterday.

Reid has resisted the temptation to cut his losses by offering a pay-off to Helmer, whose £20,000 a week contract still has a year to run.

But it's likely that 34-year-old Helmer, capped 68 times, will head home if a German club moves in for him before the start of the season.

Scottish international Allan Johnston, whose contract at Sunderland ends this summer, has already agreed to join Rangers on a free transfer under the Bosman ruling, while Reid has released Gerry Harrison and Gregg Shannon.

l LOTHAR Matthaus yesterday refused to become the scapegoat for Germany's disappointing start to Euro 2000 as the row over his place in the national team continued.

Several of the 39-year-old's teammates have made anonymous criticisms of him in the German press after his lacklustre performance during the 1-1 draw against Romania on Monday.

To add to the Germans' woes, striker and skipper Oliver Bierhoff limped out of training yesterday with a suspected calf injury just three days before the defending champions meet old rivals England in their Group A crunch match.

Bierhoff's absence would be a serious blow, but the internal row over Matthaus has the potential to be even more devastating.

Matthaus has hit back at the criticism saying: ''If somebody can't say to my face what he has against me, then I feel sorry for him. I won't allow myself to be made the scapegoat."

Defender Jens Nowotny has said he is ready to move from the role of man-marker to libero where Matthaus plays - a position he plays for his club Bayer Leverkusen. He said: ''If Erich Ribbeck calls on me to play in central defence, I am ready.