LEADING scorer Darren Bent is a major doubt for Charlton's must-win home game with Newcastle on Sunday.

Manager Alan Pardew dropped the bombshell on Friday, revealing that the striker suffered a recurrence of the knee injury which kept him out for six games in January.

He returned to score in the 4-0 defeat of West Ham at The Valley on February 24 and played 90 minutes in the 2-2 draw at Watford on March 3.

"Darren has only a small chance of playing and is very doubtful," said Pardew. "He felt a twinge after the Watford game and we cannot afford to take a chance on him.

"We will probably roll him out an hour before kick off to see how the injury is but I am not hopeful."

The injury now threatens Bent's chances of featuring in the England squad for the forthcoming internationals against Israel and Andorra.

Marcus Bent, Hermann Hreidarsson, Darren Ambrose and Jerome Thomas are all fit while Souleymane Diawara is available after serving a one-match suspension.

Hreidarsson is likely to play at left-back in the continued absence of Ben Thatcher who has not recovered from the knee injury that kept him out at Watford.

"A win on Sunday will bring other clubs in the bottom half of the table closer to us," said Pardew. "Our home form is the key to our survival chances."

Pardew confirmed that despite national newspaper speculation no approach had been made from League 1 club Huddersfield to speak to his No 2 Phil Parkinson over their managerial vacancy.