Santa Cruz cools move talk

Blackburn Rovers striker Roque Santa Cruz insists he has no intention of leaving Ewood Park this summer despite reports linking him with a switch to Manchester United.

The 26-year-old has enjoyed an outstanding first season in the Premier League following his transfer from Bayern Munich last summer, scoring 21 times for Mark Hughes' side, including the winner in Saturday's 1-0 success at Portsmouth.

Reports suggest the Paraguay international will move to Old Trafford, but Santa Cruz said: "To tell you the truth I'm not thinking about leaving Blackburn Rovers.

"I know about the interest from Manchester United after what has been said in the press but nobody has spoken with me about that.

"If I have to be transferred I expect it to be inside England because I would like to stay in this country."

Meanwhile, Hughes is confident Christopher Samba will have recovered from a knee injury in time to face Derby County on Saturday.

The Rovers boss said: "He got a bang on the outside of the knee. We hope it's just an impact injury and he should be okay.

"If it's twisted then it could be a bigger issue for us. It'll be sore for a couple of days, but we hope that's all it is."