Town boss Roy Keane is reported to be interested in bringing former team-mate Quinton Fortune to Portman Road. The ex-South Africa international has also been offered a trial with newly-promoted Birmingham City as he looks to get back into English football.

The 32-year-old, who was linked with a possible trial with the Blues a year ago, is understood to have accepted the chance to show Birmingham manager Alex McLeish that he can still play at Premier League level in pre-season and Keane, who played alongside Fortune at Manchester United, could offer him a similar opportunity at Town.

Fortune, who has won 53 full international caps scoring one goal and played in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, first came to England to join Tottenham's youth set-up as a 14-year-old but moved on to Atlético Madrid in Spain after having trouble gaining a work permit in the UK.

Manchester United signed the Cape Town-born player in 1999 for £1.5 million as cover for Ryan Giggs and he went on to make 88 starts and 38 sub appearances for the Red Devils, scoring 10 goals.

The 5ft 11in tall left-sided winger, full-back or central midfielder left Old Trafford for Bolton on a free transfer in the summer of 2006/07 but spent only a year at the Reebok Stadium and made only six starts and one sub appearance due to persistent injury problems.

Last summer, by then apparently free from injury, Fortune was linked with trials at Town and Portsmouth, which came to nothing, but in September spent time at Sheffield United before joining Serie B side Brescia on a one-year deal in October.

Fortune's time with the Rondinelle was short-lived and after only one appearance he moved on to Belgian side AFC Tubize in January on a free transfer. He made seven starts and two sub appearances for his most recent club, mainly as a full-back, but failed to help them avoid relegation to Belgium's second tier.

Meanwhile, Marcus Evans's horse Suffolk Punch runs for the first time in the 6.30pm at Chepstow on Friday evening. Suffolk Punch, one of four two-year-old horses Evans recently purchased, is trained by Andrew Balding and will be ridden by Liam Keniry.

The other three horses, which are yet to run, are named Ipswich Lad, Portman Boy and Trewarthenick, after Evans's Cornish estate. If you fancy a flutter, some free bets are available here.

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