Newcastle Could See A "Weapon" Return To Fold Against Man Utd

Siem de Jong is in contention to return for Newcastle United at Old Trafford this weekend - and Steve McClaren believes the attacking-midfielder can be a "big weapon" for the Magpies going forward. Since signing from Ajax for £6 million last summer, De Jong has struggled with a variety of injuries - including a collapsed lung - and has made just five competitive appearances for Newcastle, scoring once. But the Dutch international midfielder could make the matchday squad for the Magpies' trip to face Manchester United on Sunday lunchtime, and McClaren thinks De Jong's goal threat and ability to provide assists for his teammates will greatly benefit Newcastle.

"Of course he (De Jong) can (make a difference). He can assist and he can score and that€™s a big weapon to have, those two things. "I remember when he came here, I remember thinking what a good signing that was. "He's yet to light the place up, but that's purely because of injuries. He's just building up to get that chance. "He's going to take a while getting to the right tempo and the right level, but we can see it every day, that he's improving, getting better, and he can see that, too."