Newcastle United midfielder Siem de Jong has revealed that he could play some part in this weekend's Premier League clash with Swansea City.
The Dutch international has spent eight months on the sidelines due a succession of injuries, including a collapsed lung, but came through 72 minutes of an Under-21 match unscathed on Tuesday evening.
De Jong admits that he is still some way from returning to full fitness, but is hopeful of a place on the bench when Swansea travel to St James' Park on Saturday afternoon.
"The plan always was to be part of that game, to be on the bench. I played 72, 73 minutes and hopefully I can be part of the team next week. We will see what happens," he told nufcTV.
"I don't think I could play 90 minutes yet, especially not on a level higher, so we will have to build it up and see how it goes. It's getting a little bit better. I still feel that it just improves every day, but I still need to keep on improving.
"I feel it in the power training, but also on the field and in the game. I just need to get a few more games in, and I think that will hopefully be a couple of games his season, otherwise start again good next season from pre-season on."
De Jong has made just three appearances for the Magpies since his multi-million pound summer arrival.
Newcastle, meanwhile, have now lost six games on the bounce and find themselves just seven points clear of the relegation zone.
