West Bromwich Albion striker John Hartson is facing an uncertain future after his month-long loan spell with Norwich City was cut short by 48 hours.
The former Wales international was released by newly-appointed Canaries boss Glenn Roeder yesterday although his spell was not officially due to end until after Norwich's trip to Plymouth tomorrow.
Hartson had been hoping the move to East Anglia might revitalise his career after an unsettled spell on the sidelines at The Hawthorns. He spent the summer shedding several pounds in weight and told The Post in pre-season of his desire to get playing regularly.
The 32-year-old former Celtic star is one of six strikers at The Hawthorns and even with Kevin Phillips injured, Manchester City loanee Ishmael Miller, Scotsman Craig Beattie and Czech striker Roman Bednar are in front of him in the pecking order.
Roeder would not be drawn on why he had ended the loan period but hinted he may yet be about to procure the temporary services of a Premier League striker.
Meanwhile, Albion face an anxious wait to see how long they will be without Phillips.
The former Watford, Sunderland and Aston Villa target man could be out for several weeks after he was carried off in the 81st minute of Albion's 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday at The Hawthorns on Tuesday.
The club must wait at least two weeks for the swelling on Phillips' left knee to go down before a further assessment can be made.
Phillips, who had a scan on the knee on Wednesday, had put the Baggies ahead with his tenth goal of the season in the match before Brian Laws' men scored a controversial equaliser in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
Manager Tony Mowbray said: "Kevin has suffered some damage to his left knee. However, no one can predict how long Kev will be out or whether he will require surgery until the knee has had chance to settle down properly.
"That usually takes around two weeks and so we will just have to wait and see. Our main priority is to look after Kevin. He is as good a professional as any I have ever worked with and he was absolutely flying this season.
"We have now had to rule him out of our thoughts for the time being but it is pointless speculating on how long he will be out until we have got the full facts."
Phillips' partnership with 20-year-old Miller, who is on a season-long loan from Manchester City, has proved the most prolific in the division, with the duo notching 19 goals between them so far.
Mowbray may now have to call on Beattie or Bednar, who was on the bench for the Sheffield Wednesday match.
Phillips, who made his 50th appearance for Albion in midweek, is in the last year of his current contract but his manager has already hinted that he is likely to be kept on once his deal comes to an end in May.
* The kick-off for Albion's Coca-Cola Championship clash with Leicester City at the Walkers Stadium next month has been brought forward on the advice of Leicestershire Police.
The match on Saturday December 8 will now kick-off at 2.15pm amid concerns that the large numbers expected at the game would cause congestion in the city.
Leicester Tigers take on Toulouse on the same day in the Heineken Cup in a game which is being shown live on Sky.
