STRIKER Kevin Phillips has had his injured ankle encased in a "Beckham-boot" as the Sunderland medical staff try to get the England man fit in time to play at Charlton on Saturday.

The 28-year-old centre-forward, who has been troubled recently by stomach, groin and hip injuries, now has strained ankle ligaments to contend with - the result of a jarring tackle from behind by West Ham defender Ian Pearce during the 3-0 defeat at Upton Park which dropped the Wearsiders into fourth-bottom place.

Phillips flew back to the North-East and spent a night in a clinic while experts assessed the extent of the damage.

A scan has shown there is no ligament tear and now he has had his ankle protected by the same kind of specialised plastic boot which is keeping David Beckham's foot immobilised while the broken bone which threatens his World Cup chances is allowed to heal.

Now it looks touch and go whether the 11-goal hit-man will be able to make the all-important trip to the Valley, where Sunderland will be trying to end a run of five consecutive defeats in London this season.

Sunderland's form has dipped alarmingly this year and they now find themselves five points above third-placed Ipswich Town, who play their game in hand, against Middlesbrough, at Portman Road tomorrow night.

Victory for the Tractor Boys would see them breathing uncomfortably down Sunderland's neck - but they have yet to face Championship-chasing Manchester United and Liverpool in their last two games of the season.

Sunderland have hit only three goals in their last seven matches, and after failing to score in a run of three defeats, are desperate to find a cutting edge in the remaining fixtures at Charlton and at home to already relegated Derby County.

And while Phillips has now gone ten games without scoring - his worst run since joining the club - he remains Sunderland's most likely candidate to end a run of over 300 minutes without a goal.

Sunderland manager Peter Reid is left sweating over the extent of Phillips' injury, which could well rule him out of the last two games.

Reid tried to remain up-beat when he said: "It's too early to say what the situation is going to be with Kevin.

"He'll get the best medical treatment that can be given and we'll wait to see how things work out during the week."

But Reid has other problems mounting up through suspension, injury and weekend reports of discontent among his players.

Former England midfielder Gavin McCann is out of the last two matches through suspension, while a one-match ban will keep United States captain Claudio Reyna out of the game at the Valley.

Republic of Ireland midfielder Gavin McCann is still struggling with a groin injury, while it still looks too early for a return for £4.5m Brazilian central defender Emerson Thome (knee), or Argentinian winger Julio Arca (ankle).

And to add to Reid's troubles reports have filtered back from Argentina that Arca is not happy with life at the club, while the future of goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen at Sunderland was again questioned in the Danish press.

* Robert Prosinecki has confirmed he is leaving Portsmouth to sign for Japanese club Grampus Eight.

The Croatia international met Milan Mandaric yesterday morning and despite the Pompey chairman desperately wanting him to stay, he announced his intention to leave Fratton Park after just one season. Prosinecki, 33, scored nine goals in 30 league games for Portsmouth.

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