Newcastle doing well to recruit big signings, says Steve Harper

“Most definitely”, revealed McClaren.

The Argentinian cut a disillusioned figure in pre-season, training for most of it but not making himself available for any matches amid rumours of interest from Crystal Palace.

Coloccini was a rock at the heart of Newcastle’s defence, along with equally-impressive centreback Steven Taylor, as Newcastle surprisingly held Manchester United to a goalless draw on Saturday.

“There were offers on the table, but the club has done great to address that situation and keep him”.

He said: “It is a great point for us”. I always try to give everything for the fans and for the Club, and it is nice to make them happy. We looked around at various defenders when his position was in doubt, but we quickly decided that none of them matched up.

“I also thought (Chancel) Mbemba was superb”.

“Sometimes it is right, like last week [against Swansea] with the red card etc and we knew we had to bounce back from that”.

“That back four – five with Tim Krul behind – is going to be important for us”. It’s unknown whether McClaren will bring the 19-year-old into the side for the game but it would be interesting to see him perform against his old club.

Fabricio Coloccini was back to his very best as the Magpies successfully shackled a Manchester United attack featuring their nemesis, Wayne Rooney, and as skipper, the Argentinian is sure to retain his place against Arsenal.

“But I think our game plan worked and in the end we could have nicked the win”.

“He liked our approach – how we were doing things and moving forward”. “That performance is a real platform”.

Northampton finished 12th in the fourth tier last season and will be looking to cancel the Magpies’ takeover of Trafalgar Square for another year.

“We have some hard weeks coming up, but I am really positive after Saturday”.

“We limited their chances, put our bodies on the line, put in plenty of blocks and we showed good character”, he said. We just have to look at it week by week, every game, because you never know.