PAPISS CISSE is set to return to the Newcastle United squad for the first time in eight games later today, and John Carver is challenging the striker to produce ‘the most important goal of his career’ to aid the club’s survival push.

Cisse has missed the last seven matches through suspension after he was retrospectively punished for spitting at Jonny Evans during Newcastle’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester United at the start of March.

In that time, he has had treatment to address a long-standing knee problem that had plagued him throughout the majority of the campaign and he only returned to training on Thursday.

That makes him extremely unlikely to start this afternoon’s game against West Brom, but he could well find himself on the substitutes’ bench and after the Senegal international scored a string of memorable goals during his early months as a Newcastle player, Carver is hoping his best moments are still ahead of him.

“His most important goals for the club might yet be to come,” said the head coach. “They don’t have to be spectacular or pretty like the one at Chelsea – or the two at Chelsea – a little poke in the six-yard box might do it. Whatever it means, whichever way it happens, I don’t mind as long as it gets us the three points.

“He’s putting himself up for it because, don’t forget, he had an operation on his knee and he trained for the first time on Thursday. He’s not got that limp any more, which is great news, but let’s see how he is.”

At the other end of the field, Newcastle have to solve a defensive crisis that is entirely of their own making. With Mike Williamson and Daryl Janmaat suspended following their dismissals at Leicester, Carver is desperately hoping that Paul Dummett will pass a late fitness test to partner Fabricio Coloccini at centre-half.

If Dummett misses out, Ryan Taylor is likely to move to the heart of the back four, but whoever is available, much will depend on the performance of Coloccini, whose form has nosedived in the last few weeks as the list of defeats has racked up.

Earlier this week, Coloccini penned an open letter in which he issued a rallying cry to the Newcastle fans, and having spoken to the Argentinian at length in the last few days, Carver is confident he will live up to his words when he takes to the field.

“People will be critical because, all season, he’s not said anything and he’s saying it now,” he said. “But at least he’s stepped forward and said, ‘John’s not the problem – we’ve got to sort it out ourselves’.

“I’m saying, ‘I’m part of the problem because I’m part of this team – definitely’. But him stepping forward with that speaks volumes.”