UNITED STATES World Cup star Claudio Reyna, battling to make a first team return at Chelsea on Saturday, believes that Sunderland teammate Jody Craddock is knocking on England's door.

Reyna, who has been an instant hit since his £4.5m move from Glasgow Rangers in January, has picked out Craddock as the unsung hero of the Wearsiders' campaign for Premiership safety.

He said: "Jody has really impressed me and he is showing the type of form where you just don't expect him to make a mistake.

"He is a very important player for us and a bit of an unsung hero.

"I've played alongside and against a lot of international defenders and I definitely believe he is capable of playing at that level."

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has watched Sunderland several times this season, when his main objective was to check on the form of England World Cup candidate Kevin Phillips. But Reyna believes that the Swede will also have been impressed with the ever-consistent Craddock.

He said: "Eriksson has a record of giving a chance to players who are in form - Darius Vassell and Michael Ricketts are recent examples - and I'm sure Jody wouldn't let anybody down.

"There aren't many games left before the World Cup for the coach to experiment, but Jody may well get a chance after that and I think he deserves it.

"Eriksson watches a lot of games and I hope he's taken notice of Jody."

Sunderland goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen, who has kept a clean sheet in each of Sunderland's nine Premiership victories this season, has also underlined Craddock's role in keeping things tight at the back.

Craddock was once on the brink of leaving the club, playing ten games on loan at Sheffield United the season before last, but has bounced back to become a first-choice central defender alongside internationals like Emerson Thome and Joachim Bjorklund, who are currently both out injured.

Against Bolton Wanderers last week Craddock resumed the partnership with Darren Williams which played a crucial role in Sunderland's return to the Premiership two seasons ago.

And Sorensen believes that Sunderland have got to show the same efficiency in defence during the struggle ahead for Premiership safety.

He said: "Jody Craddock and Darren Williams were really solid and made sure I didn't have too much to do.

"We have to keep the same strength of purpose now in our remaining games."

Craddock and Williams look like facing one of their biggest tests at Stamford Bridge when they face a formidable Chelsea attack which has scored 50 League goals this season and smashed four past Spurs in the quarter-final of the FA Cup.

Sunderland travel to Stamford Bridge boosted by memories of their shock 4-2 victory there last season, and they are hoping to be strengthened by the return of Reyna, recovering from a hamstring injury, and England midfielder Gavin McCann, who marked his competitive return from a knee injury by scoring in Monday's 7-0 rout of Aston Villa reserves.

* Members of the star-studded Lazio team locked themselves in a dressing room when about 400 fans stormed their training ground in Formello. The players sweated out the drama for almost two hours until police arrived, but when they eventually emerged to start training, the supporters hurled abuse and insults from behind a cordon of police on the sidelines.