INJURY-jinxed Newcastle United duo Kieron Dyer and Carl Cort are going neck-and-neck in their race to return to fitness.

Neither player has figured this season, but United are quietly confident that both could be back in action by the end of next month.

That would put Dyer, who has been sidelined for the past eight months, on course to face former club Ipswich in the fourth round of the Worthington Cup at St. James' Park on Tuesday, November 27.

But both he and fellow long-term injury victim Cort are understood to have a realistic chance of being available for the home game against Derby three days earlier.

Midfielder Dyer underwent two operations last season after it was discovered he had been playing with a stress fracture of the shin.

The fledgling England star then suffered a setback in his recovery, as did striker Cort, who stumbled in a behind-closed-doors game against Hartlepool United on the eve of the season and damaged his knee.

Cort, a £7m signing from Wimbledon in the summer of last year, missed much of his first season on Tyneside after undergoing surgery for a hamstring problem.

He was then told he would miss the start of the current campaign after picking up an ankle ligament injury in a friendly at Exeter at the end of last term.

Rumours that £20m-rated Dyer is destined to leave Newcastle have continued to abound while he has been out of action.

Leeds manager David O'Leary is a big admirer of the 22-year-old schemer, who joined Newcastle from Ipswich two years ago in a £6m Ruud Gullit deal.

And champions Manchester United were firmly rebuffed when they made discreet enquiries last season. Now, with Dyer nearing a comeback, Newcastle boss Bobby Robson will be looking to redouble efforts to tie him to a new five-year contract - but only once he has banished lingering doubts about his long-term fitness.

Robson's attempts to beat rivals Sunderland in the chase for £10m-rated West Ham winger Trevor Sinclair, appear to have reached an impasse.

Hammers boss Glenn Roeder has confirmed Robson's interest in the England hopeful, but denied being offered wideman Nolberto Solano and centre-back Nikos Dabizas, plus either midfielder Robert Lee or full-back Warren Barton, in exchange for Sinclair.

''I have spoken to Bobby a number of times, but Newcastle have not offered any players in return for Trevor,'' said Roeder.

''Bobby openly admits he is a big admirer of Trevor, the same way Sunderland manager Peter Reid does.

''But then I would have thought all the managers in the Premier League would be admirers of Trevor. It goes higher than that too, because Sven-Goran Eriksson named Trevor in his last World Cup squad.

''To be called up, as an uncapped player, for such an important game, tells you the high esteem in which Mr Eriksson holds Trevor, and we are all very hopeful that he not only gets the call for England's friendly against Sweden, but that he wins his first cap.''

Roeder is keen on unhappy Newcastle veteran Lee - a Hammers fan as a boy - but isn't willing to pay a fee for the 35-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of the season.

However, Roeder could be interested if Newcastle were prepared to sacrifice Welsh international Gary Speed as a makeweight in a deal for Sinclair.

Meanwhile, Robson has been re-alerted to Feyenoord midfielder Brett Emerton after the Australian international revealed his desire to play in the Premiership. Emerton was also a target for Middlesbrough last season.

* Newcastle academy striker Michael Chopra has been named in a 23-man England Under-19 squad for the European Championship preliminary round matches against Georgia and Hungary next month.

Chopra's United teammates, Richard Offiong and Jon Brain, are on stand-by.

Three of United's senior players are also gearing up for international duty. Goalkeeper Shay Given and centre-back Andy O'Brien will expect to be in theland squad for their World Cup play-offs against either Iran or the UAE on November 10 (Dublin) and 15 (away).

And Dabizas is in the Greece party for the friendlies with Estonia on November 10 and Cyprus four days later. Both games are in Athens.

United striker Shola Ameobi will hope to be involved when England Under-21s face Holland in the UEFA Championship play-offs a week on Friday in Utrecht, and at Derby's Pride Park four days later.

* Disillusioned midfielder Jamie McClen has told Newcastle he wants a permanent move. The 22-year-old Geordie has started only one game under Bobby Robson in over two years

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