May 8, 2008 5:39 PM

SOURCE:
goal.com

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Benfica On Sven: No Comment

Benfica have refused to be drawn out on reports linking them to Manchester City boss Sven Goran Eriksson.

The media and general public have declared Eriksson to be all but axed, following a boardroom bust-up between he and Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra, and rumours are rife that the Swede will return to Lisbon to fill the vacant post at Estadio da Luz.

Portuguese television channel TVI claims that Benfica chairman Luís Filipe Vieira and would-be director Rui Costa have travelled to Manchester to conduct talks with a candidate for the coaching job, but the club declined to confirm the validity of those reports.

“We will not comment on any suggestions of a future Benfica coach now,” Benfica spokesman Ricardo Maia said.

“Whether someone is or is not in Manchester to try to persuade Eriksson, we have nothing to say about it.”

While most media have focused on Eriksson, there is also a distinct possibility that the recruiting mission could have centred around Sir Alex Ferguson's right-hand man Carlos Queiroz.

While Queiroz has never ruled out a return to Lisbon, the fact that Ferguson has endorsed named him as his successor at Old Trafford, suggests that chances are that he will prefer to continue paying his dues at Manchester United.