NEWCASTLE UNITED boss Steve McClaren is braced for bad news on Jack Colback’s knee injury to follow the Football Association’s decision to overturn Fabricio Coloccini’s Wear-Tyne derby red card.

Colback’s ligament problem sustained under a challenge from Sunderland’s Lee Cattermole has left the Magpies braced to be without the midfielder for a decent amount of time.

While Newcastle do not expect to reveal the extent of the lay-off until the back end of the week when they have been told more from specialists and the medical department, there are fears he will do well to be in full flow before Christmas.

Colback left the Stadium of Light on crutches and in a leg brace on Sunday and has been carefully monitored and assessed since then. He was already set to miss the Stoke game this Saturday through suspension, but it seems he will be out for a longer.

To be without Colback, a mainstay of McClaren’s team so far, will be a blow to the Magpies as they try to turn things around and climb clear of relegation trouble.

Dutchman Vurnon Anita will come back in to the head coach’s thinking to play in the holding midfield role alongside Cheik Tiote. Siem de Jong and Moussa Sissoko are also options to fill the void.

Colback is the latest name to be added to a lengthy treatment list which already includes Tim Krul, Steven Taylor, Karl Darlow and Gabriel Obertan.

But McClaren was at least boosted to learn he can still call on captain Coloccini when Stoke travel to Tyneside this weekend.

Newcastle have been charged for failing to control their players in relation to the defender’s dismissal at the Stadium of Light and have until 6pm on Friday, October 30 to respond to the charge. They are expected to appeal and are expected to inform the FA of a decision before Friday’s deadline.

But Coloccini has been cleared after Newcastle officially launched an appeal to have the red card issued by referee Robert Madley overturned.

An FA Statement read: "Fabricio Coloccini will not serve a one-match suspension after his wrongful dismissal claim was successful.

"An Independent Regulatory Commission found that the match referee (Robert Madley) had made an obvious error in dismissing the Newcastle United defender for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity during the game against Sunderland on Sunday 25 October 2015.

“Newcastle United have been charged for failing to control their players in relation to their reaction to the match referee’s decision."

Coloccini was sent off for his shoulder barge on Steven Fletcher in stoppage-time at the end of the first half during Sunday's defeat at Sunderland.

The game was goalless at the time and Adam Johnson struck the resultant penalty in to the net. The Black Cats then went on to beat ten-man Newcastle with further goals from Billy Jones and Fletcher.