SIR Bobby Robson has denied rumours of a training ground bust-up with Kieron Dyer, despite the England international's failure to make the starting line-up at Middlesbrough on Saturday calling his Newcastle future into question.

Dyer was a second-half substitute at the Riverside, with 18-year-old rookie James Milner handed a surprise start on the right of midfield.

Robson is rumoured to have clashed with the former Ipswich midfielder during training on Friday, when it is alleged Dyer vented his frustration at having to play in a right-sided position he feels uncomfortable with.

But the Newcastle boss has insisted that he named Dyer amongst his substitutes on fitness grounds alone, and slammed any suggestion of an altercation with one of his leading stars.

"Kieron wasn't happy with my team selection? Utter rubbish," said Robson. "I don't know where these stories come from. If Kieron's unhappy with my selection then he should tell me and nobody else.

"I had a long discussion with Kieron Dyer on Friday. He didn't finish Monday night's training session because of hamstring problems and hasn't had the best of preparation.

"I thought (Nicky) Butt and JJ (Jermaine Jenas) were in better condition than Dyer - so we left him out."

Dyer has previously spoken publicly about his desire to play in a settled central role this season but, with Robson keen to achieve some midfield solidity on his travels, Butt and Jenas would appear to rank above him in the manager's thoughts.

The 25-year-old's latest concerns appear to stem, at least in part, from Paul Scholes' recent decision to retire from international football.

With David Beckham poised to remain on the right flank for the foreseeable future, Dyer will need to be playing through the middle on a regular basis if he is to convince Sven Goran Eriksson that he is the man to partner Frank Lampard.

His cause will not have been helped by the latest set of rumours to sweep across Tyneside, and it was further hindered by his lacklustre display after coming off the bench at the Riverside.

Dyer failed to track back for Middlesbrough's first goal, and then slipped at a crucial moment to allow Bolo Zenden to cross for Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's controversial equaliser.

He also raised eyebrows when Alan Shearer was substituted in the dying minutes, opting to pass the captain's armband to first Jenas and then Aaron Hughes rather than wearing it himself.

Newcastle have failed to appoint a vice-captain since the departure of Gary Speed but, in a pre-season interview, Robson had described Dyer as a "future captain" of the club - a position that seemed to have shifted on Saturday night.

"I don't think we've ever made anybody officially vice-captain," said Robson. "We have to decide about the vice-captaincy.

"We've brought in Stephen Carr, and he's had a lot of experience of captaincy with Tottenham and the Republic of Ireland. I'll have to think about it because we need the right man for the job."

Dyer has, at least, been named in Eriksson's 24-man squad for Wednesday's friendly with Ukraine at St James' Park.

Jenas and Butt have also made the Swede's first squad since Euro 2004, but Shola Ameobi's back injury has prevented him from winning a first cap on his home ground.

Shaun Wright-Phillips is expected to make his international bow after another fine display in Manchester City's 1-1 draw with Fulham on Saturday, while Birmingham's Matthew Upson could be given another chance to impress at the heart of defence.

Upson's recall has been hastened by the continued absence of Newcastle's Jonathan Woodgate, with Robson admitting that the centre-half is still two or three weeks away from a return to action.

Woodgate has missed all of pre-season after rupturing his thigh muscle against Chelsea in April and will travel to Munich today for a consultation with Hans Muller Wohlfahrt, a German specialist whose cures are believed to include injections from calf foetuses, cockerel skin and shark cartilage.

"It's just taking too long," said Robson. "He's off to see a German specialist and, from that, we'll get a medical bulletin and another opinion, and we'll go from there. He did have a 50 per cent rupture so it's not an easy muscle injury."

England squad to face Ukraine at St James' Park on August 18: James (Man City), Robinson (Tottenham), Kirkland (Liverpool), G.Neville (Man Utd), Johnson (Chelsea), Cole (Arsenal), Bridge (Chelsea), Terry (Chelsea), King (Tottenham), Carragher (Liverpool), Upson (Birmingham), Beckham (Real Madrid), Lampard (Chelsea), Gerrard (Liverpool), DYER (NEWCASTLE), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), BUTT (NEWCASTLE), Wright-Phillips (Man City), JENAS (NEWCASTLE), Owen (Real Madrid), Heskey (Birmingham), Vassell (Aston Villa), Defoe (Tottenham), Smith (Man Utd).