Football: Good news for Keegan as Phillips should be fit

KEVIN PHILLIPS may be fit to join the England squad for the Euro 2000 play-offs against Scotland after a scan revealed his injury is not as bad as first feared.

Phillips, the Premiership's top scorer with 13 goals, was carried off during Sunderland's victory over Tottenham on Sunday which moved the Wearside team up to third in the league. He suffered an injury to his right knee in a collision with Spurs' defender Sol Campbell early in the second half. It was later revealed he had also picked up a foot injury in an earlier collision with the Spurs' goalkeeper, Ian Walker.

A statement from Sunderland read: "Kevin has bruising to his right knee and to a bone on the outside of his left foot. He will be undergoing treatment during the course of this week and has not been ruled out of this weekend's game at Middlesbrough."

Scotland's veteran captain, Colin Hendry, will play in an Under-21 match between Rangers and Celtic to prove his fitness for the play-offs on 13 and 17 November against England. He will take part as a Rangers over-age player in the game next Monday.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Football Association has referred a compensation claim from Rangers over an injury to Hendry to its insurers. Hendry, who is on the verge of a move to Derby, has not played since Scotland's Euro 2000 qualifier against Bosnia last month. The central defender picked up a knee injury during the 1-0 victory and Rangers are claiming pounds 100,000 in wages.

Scotland have climbed to 20th in the latest Fifa world rankings. A string of good results has seen the Scots jump 18 places from 38th. England remain in 12th place while Wales have tumbled 13 places to 97th, behind nations like Namibia, Qatar and Togo.

The Republic of Ireland are ranked 35, from 56th at the start of the year, while Northern Ireland are 78th.