• No Stoke supporters involved
• Twenty-five year-old arrested

A man injured during yesterday’s Premier League match at Stoke City has died in hospital.

The 30-year-old fan is thought to have been hit on the head with a bin. He was found unconscious and taken to hospital where he died in the small hours of Sunday morning.

The incident occurred in the Blackburn Rovers section of the ground and police say no Stoke supporters were involved.

“The circumstances are being fully investigated,” said a police spokesman. “A 25-year-old man remains in custody and is helping police with their inquiries.”

The man was found by police just after 4pm on Saturday in the Britannia Stadium’s south stand which housed Blackburn fans.

Police said the man was treated at the scene for a head injury and cardiac arrest.

Chief Inspector Adrian Roberts, match commander at the game, said there were just over 1,300 Blackburn fans at the game, which Stoke won 3-0.

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• Stephen McManus joins Middlesbrough on loan from Celtic
• Martin Taylor leaves Birmingham for Watford
• Burnley complete signing of Danny Fox

Benni McCarthy’s move to West Ham has been delayed by work permit issues but is expected to go through over the weekend, according to the Blackburn manager, Sam Allardyce.

The clubs have agreed a fee for the South Africa striker but there has been a hold-up over McCarthy’s permit which is due to expire when his Blackburn contract runs out in 18 months. It means McCarthy will not be available to play for the Hammers when Blackburn travel to Upton Park tomorrow.

“It’s close to him finally becoming a West Ham player,” said Allardyce. “It’s a work permit situation – that’s the only hiccup and that should be resolved by Sunday.”

Middlesbrough have completed the loan signing of Celtic’s Stephen McManus, according to the Scottish club’s manager Tony Mowbray. The Celtic captain will join up with his former Parkhead manager Gordon Strachan at the Riverside until the end of the season. “The ink on the contract is drying as we speak,” said Mowbray.

McManus is one of two departures from Glasgow today, with the left-back Danny Fox also joining Burnley for an undisclosed fee. The signing of the 23-year-old continues a busy few days in the transfer market for the new Clarets manager Brian Laws, who earlier this week signed the defender Leon Cort and the goalkeeper Nicky Weaver. Fox, a former England Under-21 international, has agreed a three-and-a-half-year deal at Turf Moor.

Watford have signed Martin Taylor on a free transfer from Birmingham. The 30-year-old central defender spent six years at St Andrew’s having signed from Blackburn in January 2004. He has signed a contract with Watford through to 2012, with his deal at Birmingham due to expire this summer. The centre-back made 117 appearances for Blues, scoring three goals.

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