Newcastle's injury problems have increased now that Danny Guthrie is expected to be sidelined for up to six weeks with a groin injury.
Coloccini may be available for Saturday's match against Norwich
Newcastle's injury problems have increased now that Danny Guthrie is expected to be sidelined for up to six weeks with a groin injury which he sustained in last weekend's 3-0 defeat to Chelsea.
It was an unfortunate game for Toon boss Alan Pardew which saw Steven Taylor pick up an Achilles problem and captain Fabricio Coloccini limp off with a thigh injury.
Taylor has been ruled out for the rest of the season, however, Coloccini has a chance of being fit for the upcoming Premier League clash with Norwich on Saturday but Pardew does not want to risk further injury.
"I think there's an outside chance he could play but we won't play him and put him at risk. His injury looks a lot better than we thought so that is the positive news that we got coming out of the treatment room this week," said Pardew.
"Danny Guthrie could be a four-to-six-week job and there's no Cheik (Tiote) this weekend so we really are up against it squad wise and it's important now that everybody plays their part."
Repaired
Taylor had been in fantastic form this season with The Magpies and the ex-Southampton boss believes that there will be no more problems with his Achilles once it is fully repaired.
"The operation went very well," he added. "It's been repaired and we think he'll make a full recovery. Usually with that type of injury your Achilles comes back stronger so I don't envisage that problem coming back once he returns."
Pardew will make a last minute decision on whether he will choose Coloccini to play in this weekend's match and Tamas Kadar is on standby to replace the Argentine if Pardew decides not to risk injuring his skipper any further.
"Tamas is an option," Pardew told the
Shields Gazette. "He's played well for the reserves, and he's up to speed. He's a player who hasn't had an opportunity, and is looking to kick-start his Newcastle career.
"We've had one or two come out of the woodwork, with Ryan Taylor being the prime example."
If Coloccini is not fully-fit for the game then Danny Simpson or Davide Santon have also been considered to partner James Perch in central defence, Pardew added: "They're options as well."
