Wednesday 7th June 2000 : Mac's problems deepen with Kavanagh uncertainty

Roy McFarland's defensive headache is set to worsen with the news that right-back Jason Kavanagh is considering a career outside football.

Already in the hunt for a left-back and central defender, McFarland has been rocked by the news that Kavanagh may take up an offer to commence a career as a financial adviser. He waited patiently to sign the 28-year-old from Stoke City last season after a deal to bring him to the Abbey initially fell through and, apart from a shaky spell when coming back from a hamstring injury, 'Kav' looked like the solution to the right-back problem.

In an exclusive interview and Q&A with U's Net in April Kavanagh indicated that his future lay in financial services. When asked what he would be doing in five years time, he replied, "If I'm not still playing - 'cause I'm still only young, don't forget! - I'll be a financial consultant."

In today's Cambridge Evening News Roy McFarland broke the news and revealed that he believes Kavanagh will leave the club: "Jason has been studying financial management while he's been playing and it seems an opportunity has arisen for him to follow that career. I talked to him about delaying it for a year or two, because you only usually get one chance in League football, but I think he's likely to take up this other offer and probably play non-League football."

Kavanagh told the CEN: "My decision isn't 100 per cent certain, and I don't want to comment about it at this stage."

If he does decide to pursue a new career it will present the manager with another defensive problem to solve before the start of the new season, not helped by the now well-known fact that the U's pay the lowest wages in Division Two and significantly less than some Division Three clubs. "That will be a blow for us because it's in the area where we already have problems. It means we will be looking for a right-back, as well as a centre-half and left-back," McFarland added.

Left-back Clive Wilson announced his retirement from the professional game at the end of the season, United's other senior right-back Ben Chenery was released and centre-half Scott Eustace rejected the offer of a new one year contract and looks set to join Bristol Rovers.