GRAEME SOUNESS faces an anxious week after learning injured Newcastle United midfielder Emre could be forced into a premature return to action for his country.

Emre joined up with the Turkey squad yesterday ahead of the crucial qualifier with Albania on Wednesday which will determine whether or not a World Cup place has been achieved.

The 25-year-old has not played since aggravating a hamstring injury against Manchester United on August 28, but is in line to make an appearance for his country in Tirana.

Emre - who has been hoping for a substitute's role at the most on Wednesday - was given extra time off and was not with the Turkey squad that beat Germany in the Istanbul friendly on Saturday night.

Instead his playmaking role in Fatih Terim's side went to Besiktas midfielder Tumer Metin, who had to be stretchered off with 13 minutes to play. And with Metin expected to be ruled out of the clash with Albania, Terim is faced with the poser of whether to hand Emre his first start in almost three months or play 17-year-old Nuri Sahin. Sahin did score the late winner against the Germans at the weekend but Emre's experience is seen as vital as Turkey look to clinch a place in next summer's World Cup.

As the Ukraine have already qualified from Group Two, Turkey sit a point above Denmark and two above Greece in the race for the runners-up spot.

And Emre and his team-mates know three points are essential against the Albanians if they are to play in Germany - especially as Denmark travel to the group's whipping boys Kazakhstan. That is why Souness, who had tried to keep the £3.8m buy from Inter Milan on Tyneside during the international break, will be keeping everything crossed that his summer signing returns without a set-back.

The Newcastle boss, whose side are unbeaten in four, wants the Magpies' recent revival to continue at Wigan on Saturday and would love to have Emre available again. Souness is already without Nolberto Solano, Kieron Dyer and Albert Luque for a number of weeks with hamstring injuries and is desperate to see Emre given the green light to play in the Premiership.

Emre has only played in two of Newcastle's eight league games and had to limp out of both with the hamstring problem.

Meanwhile, one Newcastle player definitely not going to the World Cup next summer is Amdy Faye.

Faye was part of the Senegal team that cruised to a 3-0 win over Mali on Saturday, with two goals from Wigan's Henri Camara and one from Bolton's El-Hadji Diouf securing the win.

However, despite their dominance in the game, Senegal missed out on qualification after Togo clinched the last African place by edging past Congo.

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