Sunderland's Kevin Phillips can grab a crucial advantage over his rivals in the desperate battle for England places.

New coach Sven Goran Eriksson will be at Sunderland's clash with West Ham at Upton Park on Saturday.

And that offers Phillips the perfect chance to impress Eriksson ahead of players such as Michael Owen, Emile Heskey and Andy Cole.

It's significant that Eriksson has decided to take in a match featuring some of the country's top young players on both sides.

His assistant Tord Grip has already told Eriksson about Phillips and Sunderland teammates Gavin McCann and Michael Gray after watching them last month.

Now Eriksson wants to judge for himself whether 12-goal Phillips is worth a chance after being ignored by former coach Kevin Keegan during Euro 2000.

Phillips found goals elusive earlier this season, but Sunderland manager Peter Reid never lost faith in him and is in no doubt he warrants an international break.

Reid said: "Kevin has been outstanding and deserves a run in the England team. These football experts who keep questioning him should stick to what they are good at and leave the football to people who know what they are talking about.

"Nobody can play well all the time - it's impossible to do that - but he always has chances in a game. The lad has been different class.

"How anyone ever doubted him I will never know. if he doesn't get his chance, we must have the best strikers on the planet."

Eriksson's presence at Upton Park has handed Gray an extra incentive to recover from hamstring and ankle problems which ruled him out last weekend's FA Cup tie against Crystal Palace.

Gray broke into the squad under Keegan, but has been ignored in the past 18 months.

Eriksson famously admitted he didn't even know Gray's name when he took over, but he's since read a glowing assessment from Grip.

Gray, playing the best football of his career, said yesterday: "You never give up hope of playing for your country.

"This is a new era for England and a chance for players to show the new manager what they can do."

The left-back is desperate to maintain his record of having played in every minute of Sunderland's Premiership season.

He said: "I'm hopeful of making it. My leg feels strong, so I should be fine to play."

McCann, 23 yesterday and back in action following surgery on a cruciate ligament injury, was picked out by Reid last season as a player with an international future.

The day after watching Sunderland, Eriksson will take the chance to meet up with another of his England backroom staff - Leicester boss Peter Taylor - as the Foxes take on Ipswich at Portman Road.

Eriksson will also start organising meetings with the Premiership managers alongside whom he will have to work in matters such as securing the release of players for friendlies.

He will then have just over five weeks to ensure he has a firm grip of the English game before naming his squad to face Spain in a friendly on March 28 at Villa Park.

However, Football Association chief executive Adam Crozier insists the Swede is ''already a lot more up to speed about English football than some people may realise''.

Not only has Grip already watched a hectic schedule of games and reported back to his boss with reports claiming that Paul Merson, Trevor Sinclair and Jamie Carragher are among those to have impressed him.

The FA have also been sending Eriksson details of every England player throughout all the age groups for him to study, as well as video tapes. Now he will get the chance to judge properly for himself, and the Hammers could certainly supply a significant part of the talent to which Eriksson will turn in the not-too-distant future.

Cole, 19, who has featured in the senior squad but not yet in the team, had offered to let Eriksson have his two complimentary tickets for this weekend's game because he is ''so desperate to play for England''.

And also desperate to be included is teammate Michael Carrick.

The emerging Geordie-born midfielder has grown in stature already this season and he told West Ham's website: ''I feel that I'm getting established now. I am trying to impose myself more on games rather than just go with the flow and do a job. Now it's Sunderland on Saturday, and as a Geordie that is a scalp I really want!''

At Portman Road, Ipswich goalkeeper Richard Wright will be keen to make an impression along with impressive young defender Titus Bramble and striker Marcus Stewart who has already scored 15 times this season. Consistent left-sided midfielder Jamie Clapham and versatile forward James Scowcroft will also be on show, while goalkeeper Tim Flowers will be hoping to be fit after a thigh injury.

l Sunderland's home game against Manchester United will now go ahead on January 31. It was originally scheduled to be played 24 hours earlier, but Sunderland yesterday agreed to the chance because United are involved in an FA Cup tie against West Ham on the previous Sunday.