NEW Blues boss Jim Magilton has missed out on making his first signing after Manchester United refused to allow defender Paul McShane to join on loan.United boss Sir Alex Ferguson wants around £250,000 for the young Republic of Ireland player who was a hit with Brighton while on loan at the Withdean last season.

By Derek Davis

NEW Blues boss Jim Magilton has missed out on making his first signing after Manchester United refused to allow defender Paul McShane to join on loan.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson wants around £250,000 for the young Republic of Ireland player who was a hit with Brighton while on loan at the Withdean last season.

Magilton thought he had got his man only for his hopes to be dashed after McShane played the last 15 minutes of the Red Devils' 3-0 friendly win at Celtic on Wednesday night.

Although Magilton is also tracking another player, it now looks unlikely that he will be parading any new signings in his first home game in charge, at tonight's friendly with Lazio, which kicks off at 8pm.

Magilton said: “I thought we were getting someone but now we are not, 24 hours is a long time in football and things change.

“I'm not panicking. Of course I would like these players in but if it takes longer then we will wait.”

Town fans will get a good indication of how their team are shaping up as Magilton looks to put out the side that will entertain Crystal Palace next week in their Championship campaign opener at Portman Road.

Gavin Williams misses out with a groin strain picked up in training and Darryl Knights is another casualty who misses out.

Owen Garvan and Alan Lee will both play a part in the match although Magilton is looking to use his preferred starting XI for most of the match.

Magilton said: “Although we are pretty close, we have not finalised the XI. There are still a couple of places up for grabs but I would like to play the same team for 60-70 minutes against Lazio.”

The disgraced Italian club are flying in this morning from their training base in Austria and returning to Rome at midnight and have named a squad shorn of their big names.

Matteo Sereni, who has struggled to get a place in the side and was on loan at Treviso last season, is not among the 22-man squad that will be involved at Portman Road. Nor are Lazio's two World Cup players Angelo Peruzzi and Massimo Oddo, while Paolo Di Canio left the club earlier in the summer to join Serie C side Cisco Roma.

In goal is likely to be Marco Ballotta who, at 42 years old, is the oldest player to appear in Serie A.

Lazio have included new signing from Palermo, Massimo Mutarelli, while Italian international defender Luciano Zauri should figure.

Macedonia captain Goran Pandev, who has been linked with Arsenal after scoring five goals in 14 internationals, could be the most eye-catching visitor on show.

The Rome side have just managed to retain their Serie A status on appeal after initially being relegated to Serie B for their part in the country's match-fixing scandal but will start the new campaign with an 11-point deficit.

Tonight's squads

Ipswich Town: Supple, Wilnis, Richards, De Vos, Naylor, Garvan, Forster, Parkin, Currie, Peters, Price, Barron, Skard, Bowditch, Clarke, Nash, Westlake, Lee, Sito, Haynes.

Lazio: Ballotta, Santarelli, Cribari, Zauri, Rocchi, Bonetto. Greco, De Silvestri, Berni, Ledesma, Sivglia, Mutarelli, Stendardo, Pandev, Manfredini, Belleri, Baronio, Quadri, Mauri, Tare, Buelli, Diakite.