The Netherlands international has been on the sidelines since sustaining a dislocated shoulder in the St James' Park outfit's 3-0 derby defeat to local rivals Sunderland back in April.

However, the 25-year-old insisted his recovery is going well and he should be able to return in time for the beginning of the new Premier League campaign, which starts on August 17.
"I've had the operation and it went well but unfortunately it does mean I'm going to be out for three months," he told the club's official website.
"That's my season over, of course, and it's just been one of those seasons for me - I've had a couple of injuries which have interrupted it and that's been a new experience for me.
"It's hard because I'm not the best at having to watch the lads, especially in the position we found ourselves in, but hopefully I should be back for the first week of pre-season.
"Obviously there's never a good time to get injured but I guess it could have been worse as I will have the whole summer to recover."
Krul will be unable to take part in the Netherlands' upcoming games with China and Indonesia in the close-season, but he stressed his only concern is regaining his fitness so he can focus on his future with Alan Pardew's side.
He added: "There are a couple of games out in the Far East which I'll probably now miss, but I'm just concentrating on getting fit for Newcastle now.
"My aim is to come back better than ever for next season and to have another season like last year, when I didn't miss a single game in the Premier League."