Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew is expecting summer signing Siem de Jong to make his debut this weekend.
The 25-year old Dutch midfielder joined the Magpies from Ajax for £6million earlier this summer but missed the Premier League season opener against Manchester City last weekend.
Ahead of Saturday's trip to Aston Villa, Pardew indicated that de Jong was set to take his place in the Toon line-up after proving his fitness during the week.
"Siem has to earn the right to play. Whether he is ready 100 per cent for this weekend, I am not sure. We will decide that, probably, on Friday," said Pardew.
Newcastle were beaten 2-0 at home by City last week while Villa defeated Stoke City 1-0 at the Britannia Stadium.
