NEWCASTLE UNITED have been hit with a further injury blow, but goalkeeper Karl Darlow thinks competition for places is driving the surge towards the Premier League.

Daryl Murphy returned to Tyneside yesterday following his withdrawal from international duty.

Murphy, who has scored five times in seven starts and has forced his way ahead of Aleksandar Mitrovic in the pecking order, has suffered a calf problem and had to drop out of the Republic of Ireland squad.

He will be assessed carefully, with boss Rafa Benitez knowing Murphy had to miss a significant chunk of the fixture list the last time he pulled up with a calf problem with the Irish.

Leading scorer Dwight Gayle and Mitrovic are the alternatives to lead the line, with the latter out of favour and the former yet to recapture his early season form after injury.

Newcastle have got ten days to get Murphy back to fitness before two home games against Wigan and Burton.

Benitez’s side are a point clear of second-placed Brighton and seven ahead of third-placed Huddersfield, who have a game in hand. Darlow, the Newcastle shot-stopper, thinks the strength in depth is what is keeping the team ahead of the rest.

He has his own battle to keep hold of the goalkeeper shirt from the more experienced Rob Elliot and summer signing Matz Sels.

Darlow said: "The standard of the goalkeeping every day is excellent with (coach) Simon Smith. We have a great set of goalies, and you've got to carry on performing to regain that spot. It's the same in every position.

"One of the reasons we've done so well this season is that no one's taken their foot off the gas and thought 'I'm in this position and I'm set for the season'. It's kept a very high quality throughout the season."

Darlow has held his place since winning it from Sels in September. He has made a number of good stops to keep Newcastle in the promotion picture, although accepts he has also made the errors which has kept him on his toes.

Darlow said: "I think it shows the manager has got faith in me, which is nice. There have been one or two mistakes here or there, which I think you're going to have as a goalkeeper over the course of the season.

"I'm not dwelling on one or two mistakes when I've continued to perform well throughout the season. As long as we finish the season off well, I can say I've had a good season here and that's the main thing for me personally."

But Darlow accepts Elliot, who has not played for Newcastle since suffering a knee injury a year ago, is fit again and desperate to win his place back.

He said: "Everyone's ambitious and wants to play. Rob's back from injury and he's a terrific goalkeeper. He was unbelievable for us last year. He's obviously getting better and fitter. For me, I've just got to carry on playing and do well. I can only take care of what I do.”