BRIAN Kerr's Newcastle career looks to be at an end after he moved on loan to First Division Coventry City.

The Scottish midfielder will stay at Highfield Road until the end of the season and, with his current United contract due to expire in May, it is unlikely he will be offered another deal.

Kerr is no stranger to Coventry, having made four appearances for the Sky Blues during a previous loan spell in late 2002.

The 22-year-old also made his full Newcastle debut at Highfield Road, when he made a brief appearance as substitute in a 2-0 win in August 2000.

But, since then, he has made just five first-team starts for the Magpies and, with the likes of Hugo Viana and Darren Ambrose struggling to break into the side themselves, Kerr has been forced to accept that his future lies away from St James' Park.

A broken leg curtailed his loan spell at Scottish Premier League outfit Livingston this season, so Kerr will hope to put himself in the shop window as he assists Coventry's play-off push in the next two months.

This summer could see the departure of a number of fringe players as Sir Bobby Robson looks to rearrange his pack.

Centre-half Steve Caldwell, full-back Andy Griffin and reserve goalkeeper Tony Caig are all out of contract and, at this stage, none would seem to be in line for a new deal.

Caldwell is currently attracting rave reviews for his performances at the heart of the Leeds defence and, while Sunderland boss Mick McCarthy is monitoring his progress closely, it is understood that Robson does not see him as part of his plans.

Griffin has not started a first-team game since the Carling Cup defeat to West Brom in October, while 29-year-old Caig has never made a senior appearance for the club.

Michael Bridges' future is also up in the air, with Robson having to decide whether to turn his loan from Leeds into a permanent deal.

The former Sunderland striker has been unable to force his way into the reckoning at St James' Park, with Alan Shearer, Craig Bellamy and Shola Ameobi all ahead of him in the pecking order.

But Bridges is keen to make the switch and, while he has been unable to prove his fitness on the pitch so far, United's coaching staff have been impressed by him in training.

Bridges wasn't even on the bench as Newcastle lost 1-0 at Spurs on Sunday but, with Bellamy no better than 50-50 for Saturday's showdown with Charlton, he could find himself back in Robson's 16-man squad.

Bellamy strained his hamstring in the latter stages of last weekend's defeat and, while a scan has shown no serious damage, the Wales international will miss training again today.

Centre-half Titus Bramble will be back on the training ground as his knee problem continues to ease, but Kieron Dyer has already been ruled out of Saturday's game because of his hamstring injury.

Jonathan Woodgate is another member of United's walking wounded but has pledged to play through the pain barrier for the club.

The stylish centre-half is still suffering from a stomach problem but, with a Euro 2004 place in his sights, he will continue to play.