DIARRA FACING WEMBLEY FITNESS FIGHT

Diarra - suffered injury in friendly.

Portsmouth's Lassana Diarra is a doubt for Sunday's FA Community Shield clash with Manchester United at Wembley after limping out of his first pre-season friendly with an ankle injury.

The France international midfielder, granted extra time off this summer after Euro 2008 duty - even though he was not selected for any of his country's three games in the finals - was on the receiving end of a tough tackle in Pompey's 2-1 win at non-League Oxford United on Monday night.

And although club sources insist the injury is not serious as far as the new Premier League season is concerned, the £5.5million former Chelsea and Arsenal star is unlikely to be risked at Wembley - where champions United are certain to be without Cristiano Ronaldo and England striker Wayne Rooney, who has a virus.

With Ghana's Sulley Muntari sold to Inter Milan for £12m and Pompey boss Harry Redknapp still to announce further progress with his latest bids for new signings - prime targets being Younes Kaboul (Tottenham), Nicky Shorey (Reading) and Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea) - Diarra's absence would leave a big hole in midfield.

Diarra has been playing catch-up having returned to training more than two weeks later than his FA Cup-winning team-mates and spent time training on his own in search of full fitness on the club's tour of Nigeria and South Africa last week.

Pompey coach Joe Jordan said: "Lassana took a little bit of a knock but there's nothing serious there. I thought it was a bit of a crazy tackle from the boy (Oxford's Rob Davies) but he should be OK for Wembley.

"It's whether he'll have done enough in training this week. He's a little bit behind and we've got to be careful."

Redknapp is known to be furious about Pompey's unconvincing display at Oxford - despite Jermain Defoe's fifth goal in six games, watched by England coach Stuart Pearce. The manager did not comment after the match.

He is happier, though, about the signing of Gambian trialist Omar Koroma, 18, who has penned a two-year contract after impressing Redknapp - and immediately been sent on a season-long loan to Norwich to gain first-team experience.