Unsworth rejects contract offer

Unsworth, who is now 30, first played for Everton in 1992. Everton have offered him an extension to his contract, which expires in 6 months, but at a redused salary. It now looks almost certain that Unsworth will leave the club in January.

Everton chief executive Michael Dunford said: "We have made David a fair offer which he has rejected for now. There will not be another offer from Everton. It does entail a pay cut, but that policy is pretty general throughout football now.

"More realism is coming into the game and unless you are a megastar, and with all due respect to David he is not in that category, that's the way the game has to go."