Newcastle United's gaping hole in defence will be filled this week when Steven Taylor returns from injury.

Taylor missed last week's match against Fulham but is confident of returning for the clash with Wigan after injuring himself on international duty.

"I'm just taking things day by day, but I'll be disappointed if I'm not available for selection," Taylor told the club's official website.

"I was gutted at having to miss out on Sunday, because I hate missing any game.

"My groin problems all started when I was away on international duty.

"I tweaked the muscles, and since then I have been on painkillers, but I've had trouble sprinting, so it would have been silly to have played on Sunday.

"There were fears that it might be a hernia, which would have meant weeks, if not months, on the sidelines, but fortunately this has not proved to be the case."