STEVE McCLAREN accepts it will take time for Florian Thauvin to adapt to life in the Premier League, but the Newcastle head coach is already confident the Frenchman’s match-changing abilities will form a major part of his side’s attacking threat this season.

Having scored one goal and created three more during Newcastle’s Capital One Cup win over Northampton on Tuesday, Thauvin is set to make his first Premier League start when Arsenal visit Tyneside for today’s lunch-time kick-off.

The 22-year-old came off the bench at Old Trafford last weekend a matter of days after completing a £12m move from Marseille, and displayed two or three touches that suggested he could trouble any side in the league with his creative vision and technical ability.

Tuesday’s performance, albeit against League Two opposition, was another step forward, and having worked with the likes of Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Stewart Downing and Adam Johnson during his time with Manchester United, Middlesbrough and England, McClaren is confident Newcastle have uncovered another winger with match-winning talents.

“Consistency is always key, but you also need people in your team who can win a game just like that, and that’s what he (Thauvin) can do,” he said. “At Man United, there was a moment where a ball got cleared to him, and most people would have knocked it square for Gini (Wijnaldum) and he would have had to take a touch and then go on.

“Instead, he produced a really deft touch and he (Wijnaldum) didn’t have to move. He just had to continue in his stride and he was away. That’s the little bit of difference, and that little bit extra, that some players have got.

“You saw it on Tuesday with his set-pieces and his thinking and the way he can see a pass. He’s one of those people who you have to keep on the park because he’s going to provide that moment. The other times he will drive you mad, but that’s what these players bring.

“It’s one of those where you’re about to take him off and you score a goal, and say, ‘Well who scored that?’ It’s the one you were about to take off. I’ve had that quite a few times.”

Thauvin is set to replace Ayoze Perez from the side that lined up at Old Trafford seven days ago, while Moussa Sissoko could also come in for Gabriel Obertan after recovering from a groin problem.

Sissoko damaged his groin in the 2-0 defeat at Swansea City and was not considered for either of Newcastle’s last two matches.

He returned to training on Thursday, however, and will be given every chance to prove his fitness ahead of today’s game.

“We thought he would have no chance to be honest, but he has healed well,” said McClaren, who has no new injury problems to contend with. “Is he ready? We’ll decide that. He has trained a couple of days with the team, so we will just have to weigh up the fitness side of it.”

McClaren travelled to London on Monday to watch Arsenal’s goalless draw with Liverpool, and will have left the Emirates with a clear idea of how to unsettle an Arsenal side that have won just one of their opening three league games.

With Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny both expected to miss today’s game because of illness and injury respectively, McClaren will have identified a potential weakness in the makeshift centre-half pairing of Gabriel and Calum Chambers.

Neither player looked particularly comfortable dealing with the physical threat posed by Christian Benteke on Monday, and McClaren will be urging Aleksandar Mitrovic not to give them a second’s peace if, as expected, the Serb is selected for his second start.

Monday’s result at the Emirates raised yet more questions about Arsene Wenger’s failure to address the defensive deficiencies that have plagued his side for most of the last decade, with Sky pundit Gary Neville accusing the Arsenal boss of being “naive or arrogant” after yet another summer of limited strengthening within the back four.

“I bet any manager would say, ‘I wish I’d had the last 16 years he’s (Wenger) had’,” said McClaren. “Done what he’s done, won what he’s won and played the kind of football that he’s played. He’s won the FA Cup in the last two years and I think he deserves a lot more credit than he’s given.

“Anyone can criticise and we’re all there to be shot at, but will it bother Arsene Wenger? Would it bother me after 16 years and achieving all that? No.

“I know him well enough to know he’s got his philosophy and he knows what he’s doing. Many people don’t think he does, but he does. I find it difficult for anyone who’s not been in that seat to really criticise. Have an opinion, but it’s difficult to criticise someone like him.”