ANDY Cole's future as a Blackburn player was today in doubt after the striker has failed to resolve his differences with Rovers boss Graeme Souness.

Cole and Souness had a meeting yesterday but the former England striker refused to apologise for his part in last Friday's training ground bust-up.

And now their latest spat could have done irreparable damage to their long-term relationship, with Middlesbrough thought to be waiting in the wings if Rovers decide to put him up for sale this summer.

Souness met Cole yesterday but the apology the Rovers boss had been seeking failed to materialise.

Souness wants the player to say sorry for the way he spoke to him on Friday as their training ground bust-up spiralled out of control.

But Cole is adamant he has done nothing wrong and has refused to back down.

As a result, Cole trained on his own yesterday and Souness is believed to have told him that he won't be allowed to rejoin the group until an apology is forthcoming.

The longer their stand-off is allowed to fester, the more uncertain Cole's future at the club is sure to become.

But Rovers' chief executive, John Williams, insists an amicable solution can still be achieved. "There was a meeting between Graeme and Andy yesterday as scheduled but that meeting wasn't resolved satisfactorily from Graeme's point of view," said Williams.

"But I would hope there will be further meetings and this can be resolved internally, because we don't want to do our dirty washing in public."

Cole's agent, Paul Stretford, also expects further talks to take place today.

"At the end of the day, there has been a storm in a six yard box and somewhere, somehow the national tabloid Press have whipped it up into a feeding frenzy.

"Discussions are on-going and further discussions are planned for today.

"But what some of the Press have written is well wide of the mark."

Rovers will not be rushed into making any rash decisions and a reconciliation still remains a very real possibility providing Cole says sorry.

But if he doesn't and Rovers do decide to off-load the player in the summer then Boro boss Steve McClaren could be ready to step in.

Cole cost Rovers a club record £7.5 million when he signed from Manchester United in December 2001.

He scored 13 goals in 20 appearances in his debut season to help Rovers win the Worthington Cup and secure their Premiership status.

And he has scored a further 11 goals this season despite several injury problems.