KIERON Dyer has pledged to put his international ambitions on hold and insisted his latest return from injury should not be interpreted as the start of a World Cup warm-up.

The Newcastle midfielder made his seventh appearance of the season when he replaced Nolberto Solano in the latter stages of Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Manchester United.

With Sven-Goran Eriksson maintaining "one or two" World Cup places remain up for grabs, the pacy 27-year-old has once again been touted as a possible late addition to the party that will travel to Germany in early June.

But, with his fragile hamstring still giving cause for concern, Dyer has accepted this summer's tournament will come too quickly for him.

Instead, the former Ipswich midfielder is desperate to devote all of his energy to Newcastle's belated push up the Premiership.

"If I'm honest, I don't think I'll be going to the World Cup," said Dyer, who is expected to be back on the bench when Liverpool visit St James' Park on Sunday. "At the moment, I think it's ludicrous my name is even being associated with England.

"I've only started two games this season and I've had a suspect hamstring which has kept breaking down, people should just be talking about me performing in a black and white shirt doing the business for Newcastle.

"England isn't in my thoughts at the moment. In many ways, I'd just like people to stop talking about it so I can get my head down and make sure my fitness problems are finally behind me.

"If I go to the World Cup, great, but at the moment I just want to play football for Newcastle. After so many problems, my fitness and Newcastle United are my priority."

Dyer has already suffered a succession of false dawns this season as a medical complaint has exacerbated his hamstring worries.

Last October's substitute appearance at West Brom preceded a three-month lay-off, while a match-winning display in last month's FA Cup win over Southampton led to a minor strain that kept him out of action for a further three weeks.

"I thought everything was behind me when I made my comeback against Southampton," he said. "I loved playing again, but then I had another little setback.

"Thankfully, it was only a couple of weeks and that was a big relief. I knew it wasn't serious because I didn't feel it in the game. My hamstring has torn so many times in the last 12 months I knew only too well how painful it is.

"We knew straight away that this was just a minor problem. It was just a case of me playing ten minutes too long, but it's settled down quickly and I had a full week's training before the Manchester United game.

"It has been tough for me mentally, but I think I'm over that. I'm more confident about my fitness than I have been in a long time.

"I've been training without any problems and I've got the confidence to open my legs and run at full pelt. That hasn't been there for a while and it's a big weight off my shoulders."

Dyer is understandably reluctant to rush his latest recovery but, with next Wednesday's FA Cup quarter-final at Chelsea likely to shape Newcastle's season, he is hoping to be jostling for a starting spot at Stamford Bridge.

"It's just a case of getting the right programme so that I gradually build up to being able to play for 90 minutes," he added. "I won't start against Liverpool on Saturday.

l Peru's new coach, Franco Navarro, has offered an olive branch to Nolberto Solano in an attempt to extend the exiled midfielder's international career.

Solano quit his national team last year after falling out with former manager Freddy Ternero, but Navarro is hoping to persuade him to reverse his decision.

"Under my leadership, the doors are open for any player who stands out at home or abroad," said the Peru boss, who is hoping to pick Solano for a friendly against Trinidad & Tobago on May 10, three days before Newcastle could be playing in the FA Cup final.

"Solano is a player with experience and that's an incentive for the youngsters. The least we can do is recognise everything he has given Peru."

l Newcastle's youngsters will be in action at St James' Park this evening as they play the first leg of their FA Youth Cup semi-final with Manchester City.

Fans will be able to watch the 7pm kick-off from the East Stand, with adult tickets priced £3 and concessions £1.50