PHILLIPS SET FOR NEW DEAL

The offer of a five-year, £25,000-a-week contract has been on the table for some time but Phillips, 26, has yet to sign it, despite having seen many of his team-mates commit themselves to the club by signing new contracts.

The 23-goal striker, who was named in Kevin Keegan`s England squad for next week`s friendly against Argentina, has been swayed into committing his future by the unexpected success of the club this season which has catapulted him onto the international stage.

"I am really confident that I will sign," said Phillips. "The whole thing should be tied up within a few weeks. I`ll sign because I know this club is going to get bigger and bigger.

"I am convinced about that and I feel we can definitely win a major trophy, either in the next two years or some time just after.

"In the past, I think it was far easier to get into the England set-up when you were with a club in the south or a club such as Manchester United.

"Our stadium capacity is going to keep increasing and four years down the road I see us as being as big as United. I want to be a part of all that."

He has also stated his intention to go on and make a name for himself as an England goalscorer after doing so at every other level in recent years.

"When I was first called up," he continued. "I was still in the First Division and people might have seen me as another flash in the pan being given a chance. Now, I feel far more relaxed, more confident and accepted by the other players.

"I know in my own mind that I am a proven Premiership scorer. Now I just want to prove myself as a consistent England scorer."

David Allen