Pardew: De Jong could face Sociedad

Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew is hopeful that Siem de Jong will feature against Real Sociedad on Sunday.

The forward, who signed from Ajax at the start of July, remained on Tyneside over the weekend to receive treatment on a calf complaint as Newcastle were beaten by Malaga and defeated Schalke 3-1 in the Schalke Cup.

De Jong will not play in Newcastle’s trip to Huddersfield Town on Tuesday, but Pardew revealed that the injury is not serious and the Dutchman should play against La Liga side Sociedad at St James’ Park this weekend.

“The injury to Siem de Jong is not big, so he could feature on Sunday,” Pardew told The Shields Gazette.

Pardew was relieved to come through the pre-season tournament without any other injury concerns, with Newcastle’s Premier League opener against champions Manchester City under a fortnight away.

“We came through unscathed,” he added. “We’ve got no injuries, which we’re really pleased about.”

Reflecting on the Schalke Cup as a whole, Pardew admitted that Malaga, who beat Newcastle 3-1 on Saturday, were worthy winners – the Spanish side defeating West Ham 2-0 on Sunday.

“It was a high-calibre tournament and the best team won,” Pardew continued. “Malaga were better than the other teams in terms of their technical levels.”