Premiership: Robert news cheers Magpies

French midfielder Laurent Robert is winning his battle to return for Newcastle against Blackburn tomorrow.

Robert was this week allowed to return to Paris to see his own surgeon for a second opinion on the hip injury which kept him out of the 1-0 Worthington Cup quarter-final defeat at Chelsea in midweek.

After the surgeon confirmed what United’s medical staff had already said Robert returned reassured.

Kieron Dyer played 65 minutes for the reserves last night but is unlikely to start, while Christian Bassedas is definitely out with a hamstring tear and Craig Bellamy is suspended.

Team (from): Given, Harper, Hughes, Elliott, Griffin, Dabizas, O’Brien, Distin, Lee, Speed, Solano, Robert, Dyer, Acuna, Bernard, Shearer, Ameobi, Lua Lua.