Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given has been ruled out for the start of the season with a groin injury.

"He has gone to see a specialist in London because we want to make sure just how much damage has been done," said Toon boss Sam Allardyce, who will not recall youngster Tim Krul from his loan spell at Falkirk at this stage.

"He has been for a scan and it doesn't look serious, it's just a slight strain. At the moment we only expect him to be out for a couple of weeks, but we won't take any risks.

"We're happy with the initial diagnosis, but we have just sent him away to get a second opinion. He has had a few injuries of this kind recently and we want to make certain there are not going to be any side effects down the line.

"It doesn't look as though it is going to keep him out for very long, so we won't look to bring in another goalkeeper as cover at this stage.

"If the situation has changed after he has seen the specialist, and he is going to be missing for longer than we first thought, we might have to bring another keeper into the squad because we'll be a bit short."