FOOTBALL agent Willie McKay must have tremendous faith in Mario Espartero to be paying his client's wages during his Reebok stay.

Espartero, the 24-year-old defensive midfielder player from Metz, joined Wanderers on loan for the rest of the season in a deal Sam Allardyce described as "a bit of a surprise" after thinking the transfer would not come off.

But it has since emerged that McKay is funding the deal himself - a bold and generous gesture aimed at giving the Frenchman with a reputation a chance to secure a permanent transfer to the Reebok or elsewhere.

"Willie McKay has confirmed it, so there's no point in me denying that he is paying Mario's wages," Allardyce confirmed.

"Gift horses don't come along very often so when they do you just can't afford to look them in the mouth!"