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LONDON, March 10 (Reuters) - Graeme Le Saux may well have said goodbye to his World Cup chances after earning himself a red card in front of England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson during Chelsea's FA Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

The 33-year-old, who has not figured in any of Eriksson's 10 squads despite earning 36 caps under previous regimes, looked to have enhanced his chances of a return to the England set-up after scoring the third of Chelsea's goals in the 4-0 win.

But his good work was spoiled when he received a second yellow card 13 minutes from the end for a wild lunge on Spurs' Mauricio Taricco.

The defender, who is still seen by many as a natural solution to England's problem position on the left side, had only this week expressed bemusement at his continued absence from the England squad. After playing some of his best football for Chelsea this season after recovering from injury, Le Saux is finding it hard to understand why Eriksson has not considered him.

The last time he played for his country was in England's dismal 1-0 defeat to Germany at Wembley at the start of the World Cup qualifying campaign, Kevin Keegan's last game in charge. He was a regular under previous manager Glenn Hoddle.

"I suppose I started questioning it in the summer when England had a couple of games," he told Saturday's Guardian newspaper.

"I've been trying to understand, logically, why...I'm trying to give myself the best chance of making a squad, I feel I am giving it a good shot.

"What can I do? I can't start sending him videos. Mr Eriksson can hardly be accused of not attending games. But, ultimately, I'd like to have some answers, even if it meant I could just put that one to bed." Eriksson was in attendance on Sunday but will not have been impressed by the red card incident.

Le Saux, who claimed to the referee that he was merely protecting himself from Taricco's studs, has a fiery reputation and one or two on-pitch incidents may have convinced Eriksson that he is an unnecessary risk.

Chris Powell, Ashley Cole, Michael Ball and now Wayne Bridge have all featured at left back, with others being tried out in midfield and Le Saux will find out later this month how the land lies when Eriksson names his squad for the forthcoming friendly against Italy.