Newcastle United boss Steve McClaren admits he could not believe it when he received news that Tim Krul had seriously injured his knee.

The Magpies goalkeeper was set to start on the bench for Holland in Saturday's Euro2016 qualifier against Kazakhstan but Oranje boss Danny Blind made a late change and used the 27-year-old in place of Jasper Cillessen.

During his country's 2-1 win, Krul sustained a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament which will sideline him for the rest of the Premier League season much to the ire of his manager at club level.

"When that happened, people who have worked here for many years were saying, 'For some reason, it's always Newcastle'. Here, it just seems to be one disaster after another," he said.

"But you have to get on with it. This is football, and this is what happens.

"I couldn't believe the text I got on Saturday evening. It was incredible because I'd just spoken to Tim earlier in the day to wish him luck, and he'd said he was on the bench and wouldn't be playing. I said, 'Well, at least you'll be fit for next week'.

"So to get that text didn't exactly make my night."