INJURY-PLAGUED Sunderland striker Kevin Kyle has revealed his determination to win a new long-term contract at the Stadium of Light and play a part in the club's promotion campaign.

Kyle still has over a year left on his current deal and was in the process of negotiating a new contract just before Christmas. But talks were put on hold when he suffered the first of several injury set backs.

The striker admitted he is a little concerned talks have broken down since his hip injury but added the contract should take care of itself once he starts playing again.

"The gaffer pulled me in and said: 'Kevin we would like to sort out a new deal, how do you feel about that'?" said the former Irish Ferries baggage handler. "I said I'd love to. I love it here and would like to stay here as long as possible.

"Then the agents came in and talked about adding another couple of years on to the year I have left. But since the injury no-one has really talked about it. It is one of those situations where the club will wait and see how the hip is.

"But I know as soon as my hip gets fixed then I haven't got a worry because I'll get back in the team and get stuck in and I'll earn that contract we're talking about."

The 23-year-old thought he was back on the road to recovery after playing 45 minutes in the second team's 2-1 victory against Nottingham Forest at Durham last month.

But just as Kyle was about to step up his rehabilitation, he suffered yet another reaction to the hip injury - which has plagued him since pre-season - and is thought to have kicked his last football for the Wearsiders this season.

"The thing that has got me a bit curious is the fact I trained a week or so before the reserve game and played 45 minutes and I felt fine," said Kyle.

Shortly afterwards he suffered a reaction, but said: "If there is something wrong in the area it can't be a great deal because I played and trained. There must just be something in there that's aggravating and causing a reaction."

Mick McCarthy last week said the reaction to Kyle's run-out for the reserves means the club will have to ease him back in gently.

But Kyle again stepped up his rehabilitation programme on Monday after a two-week rest period, and has pencilled in yet another date with a hip specialist hoping to diagnose what the problem is.

"I came in on Monday and the gaffer asked me how I was," Kyle said. "I said I feel OK. I can still feel something there but not quite as bad as it was after the reserve game.

"On Monday the manager organised a game in training and I don't know why but he stuck me on the right wing - maybe because we had a couple of triallists playing.

"So I played there and I did all right, but the good thing is that I managed to get through the full training session and an hour or so of the game.

"On Thursday I've got to go and see the specialist, get his views on things and see what he wants to do with it. Until I see him I don't exactly know what is going on. The right hip feels perfect but the left one still feels a bit dodgy so obviously there is something wrong.

"He might drop in a steroid or something to see if that will take away the little bit of aggravation I've been getting. If that works I should be right as rain and get back training."

Kyle acknowledged that there could be some loose cartilage on his hip left over from the last operation, and he has braced himself for the worst - another operation.

"I might have to go under the knife and trim away the cartilage," he said. "You always need your cartilage to protect your bones, but he's trimmed a little bit away already and I think he could have left a bit that he thought wasn't too bad.

"So he might have to open it up again and trim that little bit away. I'll not know that until Thursday but fingers crossed I don't need another operation. But if I do then I'll know it will make me right as rain, then I don't mind going under the knife and getting it done.

"I've been gritting my teeth and just getting on with it but now I'm going to be a big softy and say I'm doing it until I'm fixed properly. There have been too many times when I've played and I shouldn't have, and that's the wrong thing to do. But that's probably just the stupid Scottish bit of me."