Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew is key to keeping hold of Fabricio Coloccini.

The Evening Chronicle says the duo have remained in close contact over a summer of uncertainty on Tyneside.

Coloccini went public a fortnight ago to state that he was returning to United for the new season, however, crucially Pardew's has proved to be the deciding factor in the Argentine's reasoning not to quit for family reasons.

The captain is well accustomed to the ways of new director of football Joe Kinnear after playing under him during his ill-fated managerial tenure.

But there has been no contact between Kinnear and Coloccini at this stage.