SIEM DE JONG could be given a backroom role during his recovery from surgery as Newcastle United look to help him feel part of the club.

De Jong’s first season in the Premier League following his move from Ajax last summer has been ruined by injury and there are no certainties that he will even figure in the remaining 13 matches.

The Dutch attacking midfielder has had to have an operation to rectify a condition which led to him suffering a collapsed lung last week; it was the second time it has happened in two-and-a-half years.

There is nothing but sympathy around the Newcastle training ground for the 26-year-old, whose only Premier League appearance for the club was back in August when they drew 3-3 with Crystal Palace.

Interim head coach John Carver is keen to keep De Jong’s spirits up after leaving hospital earlier this week and he is due to visit the rest of the squad today ahead of the trip to Manchester City.

Carver said: "It won’t be necessarily a scouting role but my question would be can we use him around the place? I might ask him to come in and watch the Under-21s and give me a little bit of feedback on the Under-21s. Or the youth team or something like that.

“I want to make him feel part of the club because I think he's a little bit frustrated. He's come here with a big reputation and he's not been able to get on the pitch and give something to the fans. He got so close and then it's like chopping his legs away. So I need to have a discussion with him but if I can use him around the place I'd be mad not to.”

De Jong is one of a number of key members of the Newcastle squad facing lengthy spells on the treatment table, although Carver will not be putting any pressure on the £6m man to make a quick comeback.

“I haven’t put a timeline on it,” said Carver, who has been told that the player could be back by the end of the campaign if things go well but he will not push for that.

“The most important thing is how he feels. This was a big operation he had. So it’s really in his hands. We won’t force him before he is ready to come back. He’s such a positive guy he might be back quicker than anyone expects.”

While De Jong’s problem is a concern, Carver’s short term worries centre on other areas of the pitch. Remy Cabella looks set to miss tomorrow’s trip to the Etihad Stadium with a medial knee ligament problem, while Cheik Tiote’s knee injury seems set to keep him out for a number of weeks.

“We don’t know how long Cheik’s out for,” said Carver. “We’ll know within the next 48 hours what is going on with him. Cabella hurt his knee on Monday. It’s not a serious issue, but it will almost certainly keep him out at the weekend. If he’s not 100 per cent I would rather he missed one game than be out for ten weeks, like Paul Dummett.”

The knee injury suffered by Dummett at Crystal Palace ten days ago was a major blow. The versatile defender may not play again this season, even though assessment has determined he does not need surgery.

But the locally produced talent joins centre-back Steven Taylor on the sidelines, while Aussie Curtis Good has also had an operation on his hip and he was realistically the only back-up for the central defensive role other than asking Daryl Janmaat or Ryan Taylor to slot in.

“It’s always a concern when you lose a player, especially of the quality we have lost,” said Carver. “You can get away with losing one or two young lads. There’s nothing I can do about it.

“If you look at the injuries – Siem, Cheik, Dummett, Taylor – four of our big players have serious injuries, not muscle strains. You’d normally get one or two of those in a season, we got three in a week – it’s a bit unfortunate. It’s no good sulking or making excuses, that’s life and we have to deal with it.”

Asked whether Newcastle should regret not bringing in fresh cover during the January transfer window on the back of Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Davide Santon’s exits, Carver said: “Two weeks ago we were one player away from having a fully fit squad. I was so excited about that. Who is to say that’s not the end of it?”