LE SAUX TO MISS EUROS

The 31-year-old full back has been ruled out of action since injuring his ankle against Arsenal in October and despite undergoing two operations he is still thought to be three weeks away from full fitness.

This would mean the Jersey-born player being fit for England`s pre-tournament friendlies against Ukraine, Brazil and Malta, but missing Chelsea`s final league game against Derby and the Cup Final against Aston Villa.

The temperamental defender admitted to ClubCall that this would not leave him with sufficient time to be fit for such a major tournament and that it was  highly unlikely that he would now get a place in Kevin Keegan`s final 22-man squad.

The assistant manager at Stamford Bridge, Gwyn Williams gave Le Saux a boost by suggesting that Le Saux`s lack of first team action would leave him fresh for the tournament, if selected.

``Graeme is getting fitter all the time and we are not ruling anything out. By June 12 when England play their first Euro 2000 group game against Portugal, he will be really fit and will also be fresh, Williams said.

The England manager is on record as saying that he will leave Le Saux as much chance as possible to make the squad, but he also hinted that he would need to play at least one game for his club to be considered.

``I''ll be delighted if Graeme is considered fit enough to play any part in the FA Cup final or Chelsea''s remaining Premiership match.

``If he was fit then there is no doubt in my mind - he would be in the squad. The door is still open for Graeme. He''s a left-sided player and we haven''t got an abundance of them.

``If he proves his fitness, I can make a judgment about his selection, just as I intend to do with Robbie Fowler. We must remember that England have three games left before Euro 2000.

``Anybody playing just once before the end of the season will actually have four games before the tournament, if I pick them.''''