DANNY Guthrie has admitted he cannot expect to walk straight back into the Newcastle United side following his lengthy injury lay-off at the start of the season.

Guthrie has been sidelined since sustaining a knee ligament injury in training in the final weeks of the pre-season programme.

The midfielder has been recovering since, and his rehabilitation took a major step forward when he played the full 90 minutes of this week’s reserves draw with Aston Villa.

He is expected to feature in next week’s reserves game at Blackpool, and will hope to make the squad for Newcastle’s next Premier League fixture with Wigan on October 16.

However, with Cheik Tiote having established himself alongside Joey Barton at the heart of midfield, Guthrie admits he will have to be patient as he plots a route back to the starting line-up.

“I’m probably going to have to be patient for a little while longer,” said the 23-year-old, who made 36 starts as Newcastle won the Championship title last season.

“I don’t know what the manager is thinking, but realistically, the team has been doing well so I’ll probably be on the bench.

“The main thing for me is just being over this injury now and being able to push for a place in the first team again.”

Guthrie can play on the right-hand side, and with Wayne Routledge having failed to find his top form in recent matches, a wider role could offer a better opportunity of a starting spot.

The former Liverpool trainee is happy to play anywhere, but continues to see himself as a central midfielder following a successful spell in the Championship.

Like a number of his teammates, Guthrie enjoyed his time outside the top-flight, and while he is desperate to avoid a return to the second tier, he feels last season helped develop a spirit and unity that could prove crucial in the next few months.

“I see myself as a central midfielder,” he said. “I played there most of last season and I’ve got my own strengths I can bring to the team, it’s just up to the manager now.

“I’m really looking forward to proving myself in the Premier League again. Nobody wants to play in the Championship, but it was character building.

“We formed a really strong team bond and it was a brilliant season for us. We’ve carried a confidence and team spirit into the Premier League.”