Thursday 23 April 2015 14:11, UK
Newcastle midfielder Siem de Jong is on track to play a part in the Premier League clash with Swansea on Saturday.
The 26-year-old has not figured for the first team since August 30, having endured a nightmare season at Newcastle following surgery to repair a collapsed lung and then being laid low by side effects.
De Jong, a £6m summer signing from Ajax, has made only three senior appearances - including one in the Premier League - after first suffering a serious thigh injury before the problem with his lung.
The Netherlands international’s battle for fitness has proved both gruelling and frustrating, and he is already looking forward to the start of the new campaign and launching his Newcastle career in earnest.
He played over an hour of an U21 match against Aston Villa on Tuesday, and set up striker Adam Armstrong for the decisive goal in a 2-1 victory.
It was De Jongs’s second appearance for Peter Beardsley's side since recovering his fitness, and while he admits he is still short of sharpness the Dutchman is in contention for a seat on the bench at St James' Park on Saturday.
"The plan always was to be part of that game, to be on the bench," he said. "I played 72, 73 minutes and hopefully I can be part of the team next week.
"We will see what happens. 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."
