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Newcastle United have been dealt a major blow ahead of their trip to West Ham after Tim Krul picked up an untimely injury.

The Chronicle understands that Krul fell awkwardly on his ankle in training and could even miss a month of action going into the hectic festive period.

It means that Rob Elliot could be asked to step up between the posts for his first Premier League outing for the Magpies since the loss against Manchester United last term.

The Republic of Ireland international has had match practice recently though after playing his part in Eire’s 4-1 victory over the USA in Dublin earlier this month.

He also performed heroics at Eastlands in the League Cup win last month as he kept a clean sheet against Manchester City in the 2-0 victory in round four of the competition.

However, there’s no doubt that Krul’s absence is a blow to the Magpies after he kept three shutouts in a row in the Premier League.

Pardew will keep West Ham guessing in terms of who plays centre-backs with Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor both training this week.

He said ahead of the trip to his old club: “Some of them are in contention for the weekend, but I don’t want to give too much away.

“It’s a great boost because we have had a terrible run of injuries and it’s testament to the squad that we have had a great run of results.”

Pardew has been delighted with his defensive unit so far this term with the solid foundations in recent weeks helping him take his team into the top five.

He said: “We have been strong there and I have not really changed too much in the four years since I arrived.

“We have only really used three centre-backs in all that time, so we know what to do and what not to do in certain situations.

“Paul Dummett has been a big part of the run as he has come into the team at left-back, then centre-back and has been fantastic for us.”

Pardew also spoke about the confidence within the group before the encounter with Sam Allardyce’s side.

He went on: “Sometimes players get criticised for lack of enthusiasm or a lack of fight, but that’s sometimes because they are lacking in confidence and find it difficult to tick those boxes.

“We have 11 players at the moment running around and trying their hardest, which makes them very easy to manage.”