Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan will welcome midfielder Joey Barton back to the Premier League club when he is released from prison.
"My view is to give him another chance and back him. He has served his sentence, he's been punished for what he did wrong," Keegan told BBC Radio on Sunday.
"The world is littered with people who deserve a second chance, got that chance and took it with both hands. I said I would stick by him and I intend to do that," Keegan said.
Barton is due to be released shortly after serving a six-month sentence for beating up a teenager last year.
He was also convicted this month of another assault and handed a suspended four-month sentence for knocking out former Manchester City team mate Ousmane Dabo during a training session in May last year.
Barton, who has one England cap, joined Newcastle United for 5.8 million pounds last July after the Dabo incident effectively ended his career with Manchester City.
Keegan also expects England striker Michael Owen to sign a new contract with the club.
"Hopefully, that will be sorted out within the next two or three weeks," he said.
-
Nicaragua bans international visitors from bringing in Bibles
-
Evangelical vicar accused of abuse won't stand trial
-
Pastor who gave sermon near abortion clinic stands trial
-
Christians protest LGBT nativity play where Jesus is 'King of the Gays'
-
Sarah Mullally reiterates apology as safeguarding record comes under the spotlight
-
Myanmar junta orders an early Christmas
Most Popular
News
Being people of peace
It would be fair to say that the pace and complexity of life works against us finding any peace.
Christians and religious nones alike object to AI-generated social media videos
Evangelicals, nones and non-denominational Christians reject AI-generated videos, a new study has found.
What we don’t know about Christmas
Every Christmas people are bombarded with images of the Nativity in Christmas cards, the lyrics of songs and Nativity plays. Yet many of the images embedded in our minds are pure tradition. In fact, there is a lot that we do not know. This is the story …
Richard Moth appointed as new Archbishop of Westminster
Bishop Richard Moth has been confirmed as the new Archbishop of Westminster, the most senior post in the Catholic Church in England and Wales.