Newcastle United boss Steve McClaren is confident Tim Krul will return fitter and stronger from his knee injury.

The goalkeeper will miss the remainder of the season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while on international duty for Holland against Kazakhstan on Saturday.

The absence of the 27-year-old is a massive blow to an already reeling Magpies squad but McClaren has assured the Toon faithful that their number one gloveman will be back bigger and better than ever next season.

"It's a bitter blow for Tim and for us," McClaren told nufc.co.uk.

"I spoke to him on the morning of the game, he wasn't playing and - selfishly - I thought that was good, because then he would be fit for us. Then I got the news, the severity of the injury and how he did it, and it's a massive blow.

"Tim is a big part of us - he's a big player, a leader in the dressing room, and his goal was to establish himself in the Dutch side going forward.

"We will miss him for the rest of the season, and he loses seven or eight months of his career.

"It's going to be a very difficult time for him but Tim is strong, single-minded and he will come back from this injury.

"I've seen plenty of players go through this and come back just as strong, so we have no worries or concerns about what Tim will go through. The treatment and rehab he will get from us will be first class."