Exclusive: Town legend would love to give Huckerby a home in the MLS

Former Ipswich star Frank Yallop has revealed to myfootballwriter.com his interest in taking ex-Norwich favourite Darren Huckerby to the USA.

Yallop, who is back as head coach at San Jose Earthquakes for a second spell, has admitted he is a big fan of the player handed a free transfer this week after five successful years at Carrow Road.

But the 32-year-old wing ace is also a target for another Major League Soccer outfit, Toronto, where former Canary team-mates Jim Brennan and Carl Robinson are currently strutting their stuff.

Indeed, under the MLS system, the Canadian club are favourites to capture the signature of Huckerby, a fact readily acknowledged by Yallop.

If he does move to Canada he will have ex-Town defender Jason De Vos, who announced his retirement after the 1-0 win over Hull on the final day of the Championship season, commentating on his games.

De Vos is to become a Match of the Day-style pundit for CBC and his first assignment will be Toronto's game against LA Galaxy, where Yallop was previously head coach, at 20,500-capacity BMO Field on May 31.

Huckerby may well be a Toronto player by then, although long-term admirer Yallop is still hoping he can sign him for San Jose.

Yallop, who won the Player of the Year accolade from the Portman Road fans 20 years ago, said: ?The league rules say that Toronto have first refusal on Darren but I am sure he will be aware of our interest via his agent.

?I must stress, however, that we will only be able to do something if Toronto decide, for whatever reason, not to pursue their interest in signing him or if Darren turns down the chance to go there.

?We are next in line and I can't deny I would love to have Darren here. He is a player I have admired for a number of years and I have always liked the way he plays the game.

?Darren is pacy, he goes straight at opponents and usually past them, plus he has a number of tricks and a decent scoring record. He's exciting, a potential match-winner and the fans over here would love his style of play.?

Watford-born Yallop, whose parents emigrated to Vancouver when he was a youngster, returned to England to join Ipswich at the age of 16 and had a successful one-club career in this country.

He clocked up 385 first team appearances, scoring eight goals, and in 1992 helped Town to win the Second Division title and with it a place in the inaugural Premier League.

Four years later he headed back across the Atlantic to join Tampa Bay Mutiny and after a further two years he called time on his playing career to turn to coaching.

A former England youth international, he went on to win 52 senior Canadian caps and in 1999 he was Mutiny's assistant coach before switching to a similar role with DC United.
He coached San Jose from 2001 to 2003, winning the MLS Cup twice and also being named MLS Coach of the Year in 2001.

Yallop then took charge of the Canadian national side, when he worked closely with De Vos as his skipper and another Town star, Jaime Peters, as an emerging member of his senior squad.

His next move was to Los Angeles, where he was head coach of LA Galaxy when they signed ex-England skipper David Beckham, but after 18 months he resigned the post and in November last year he was delighted to move further up the Californian coastline with wife Karen and their two sons, and return to San Jose.

Huckerby was linked with a move to LA last year so Yallop's interest is no surprise, although the presence of former Canary colleagues Brennan and Robinson may tip the balance Toronto's way.

The Canadian club, where former Scotland star Mo Johnston runs team affairs and ex-Newcastle, Leeds and Luton coach John Carver is Yallop's equivalent, are playing to 20,000-plus packed houses.

Other well-known names in their squad include ex-QPR and Sunderland striker Danny Dichio, former Tottenham, Wolves and Barnsley midfielder Rohan Ricketts, ex-Newcastle star Laurent Robert and former Sheffield United, Celtic and Birmingham defender Olivier Tebily.

Toronto have made a reasonable start to the new MLS campaign, winning three, drawing one and losing two of their six games to date.

This puts them on 10 points alongside New England Revolution, where former Ipswich striker Paul Mariner, who made a flying visit to join in the club's FA Cup 30th Anniversary celebrations earlier this week, is assistant to head coach Steve Nicol, the ex-Liverpool and Scotland defender.

San Jose have won one, drawn one and lost three of their five games, including a 2-0 defeat by the Galaxy, for whom Beckham opened the scoring with his first MLS goal.

Huckerby recently spoke of his desire not to face Norwich in competitive games and when asked if he was likely to join Neil Warnock's Crystal Palace, as speculated in some quarters, he replied: ?I can't see it.?

Yallop, meanwhile, is not put off by the fact that Canary boss Glenn Roeder released the flamboyant winger, a decision that both surprised and annoyed a large section of the Carrow Road support.

The ex-Town star added: ?I have been looking at DVDs of him playing for Norwich in the season just ended and I can see he still has plenty to offer, but I cannot say any more than that at this stage.

?I think Darren intends to come out here, visit Toronto and then depending on how he feels he might come and give us a look in San Jose. I suppose things should be a lot clearer in a week or two.?