GRAEME Souness last night gave Turkey international Emre his controversial blessing to put country before club next week.

The Newcastle boss revealed he has allowed his midfield play-maker permission to play in Turkey's crucial World Cup qualifier with Albania, despite not being fit enough to face Portsmouth tomorrow.

The 25-year-old midfielder has managed less than two Premiership appearances for the Magpies since his £3.8m transfer from Inter Milan in the summer after struggling with perpetual hamstring problems.

But should he emerge unscathed from a week at United's Little Benton training camp then he has been given permission to join up with his national team colleagues for their trip to Tirana.

Souness had initially intimated Emre would be available for Manchester City's visit to St James' Park last weekend before leaving him out of United's squad to face Stuart Pearce's side at the last minute.

The 52-year-old Scot then revealed earlier this week that it was unlikely Emre would be fit enough to travel to Pompey.

"I have had a talk with him and his advisor and he is not fit or available for us this Saturday," admitted Souness, who is looking for a third consecutive Premiership victory against Alain Perrin's side tomorrow. "But I have said if he stays here and trains well without any trouble, and Turkey's game against Albania is still important and means something, then I will let him travel with a view to playing.

"We don't want him playing too early for us and in my opinion the friendly against Germany in a week does come too early. He has no trouble with that."

The United boss admits he feels the fans' frustration regarding the recent injury crisis but says he does not believe he is taking a gamble with the Turk's fitness.

He added: "He is a big player for us, someone we cannot fool around with, but someone we want back playing for Newcastle United. The fans have been excited by the little they have seen of him and the thought of being able to select him and the other injured players is very appetising."

One player definitely back for the Magpies' trip to the south coast is Kieron Dyer.

Dyer, like Emre, limped out of action against Manchester United with hamstring problems four weeks ago. But the 26-year-old England international, who scored on his last visit to Fratton Park, is back and hopes his latest spell on the sidelines is his last.

He said: "Fingers crossed I can come through on Saturday, whether I start or come on. Then there is the international break which gives me another two weeks to build my muscle up and then hopefully it will be okay for the rest of the season.

"In training you can do everything like you do in a game, but it's never quite the same as in the game itself.

"Matches are the final test. The physios are really confident this time that the injury is fine now so we'll wait and see.

"My game is really about sprinting from the areas between box-to-box.

"I've been doing drills like that to see if the hamstring is okay and it has withstood that.

"The real test comes on Saturday, probably later on in the game where your muscles are tired.

"If I wasn't okay I wouldn't be in the squad, I learned that the last time when I came back too soon for the Manchester United game.

"It does get you down. You think you are fit and you train for a week then it goes again, there is no worse feeling.

"All I want is to be stay injury free and shoot us up the league."

Although former United defenders Andy O'Brien and Andy Griffin could be in the Pompey starting XI at Fratton Park, Dyer will miss out on meeting up with another couple of old boys.

The terms of Laurent Robert's loan deal means he cannot play against his old club; while Lomana Lua Lua is being treated for malaria, caught while on international duty with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although Dyer admitted he is glad the pair cannot play he wishes Lua Lua a speedy recovery.

"It's bad news and we all hope he comes through it okay," said the former Ipswich man.

"Laurent can't play either which is a bonus from our point of view. If you take those two out of their team then you are removing two potential match-winners, so I can't see why we can't go down there and get something."

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