Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp has ruled out loaning £6million striker David Nugent back to Preston despite bringing in Jermain Defoe from Tottenham, Milan Baros from French champions Lyon and now having Nigerians Kanu and John Utaka back from the African Nations Cup.

Redknapp said: "Those suggestions are absolute rubbish. There is not a chance. Do you think I paid all that money to sign him from Preston and then loan him back? That wouldn't be very clever.

"I've got just three strikers at the moment - if Kanu is fit. He got a knee injury in Africa and Utaka is really a winger. We are not exactly overloaded still for strikers."

Nugent, yet to score a Premier League goal, has insisted he wants to stay and fight for his place at Fratton Park.

He has set a target for his comeback from injury as Pompey's visit to Preston in the fifth round of the FA Cup a week on Sunday.