KEVIN Keegan fears he will have to wait to assess the impact Obafemi Martins can have on his Newcastle United plans as the striker is struggling with an ankle injury.
 Martins, who is due back in training on Tyneside tomorrow, has picked up an injury while playing for Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana and is a major doubt for Saturday’s trip to Aston Villa. “I’ve spoken to Oba and we are a little concerned about him because he has an ankle injury which is causing him some discomfort,” said Keegan, who will be able to select Habib Beye and Abdoulaye Faye for the first time against Villa after they returned unscathed from international duty at the same tournament with Senegal. “We don’t know how bad it is, he has gone over on it in training and we will have to wait until we have had him assessed by our medical staff to find out. “He is due back with us on Thursday but, at the moment, I have to say he is a doubt for the trip to Aston Villa which is obviously disappointing for him and us because we haven’t had a chance to look at him yet because he has been away playing for Nigeria.” Martins was dropped to the substitutes’ bench for Nigeria’s last two games in the African Cup of Nations after failing to impress against Ivory Coast and Mali in the Group stage. And it seems as though the ankle injury may have hampered the 23-year-old who is still leading Newcastle’s goalscoring charts, despite missing the last seven games because of his international commitments. Keegan had not ruled out the possibility of partnering Martins with England international Michael Owen, as long as United’s captain does not pick up an injury playing for England against Switzerland at Wembley tonight. Given the fact he will not be able to sign any new players until the summer, United’s manager has told the players they have the next three-and-a-half months to prove they deserve to be part of his plans for next season and Martins is no exception. Keegan has played two small strikers together in the past and he had hoped to have a look at the way Martins and Owen combined in training on Thursday and Friday before selecting his side to face Villa. Former boss Sam Allardyce appeared to doubt whether Martins could line up alongside the club’s record signing in a traditional 4-4-2 formation, but it is a partnership his successor is keen to assess in the coming weeks. That, though, will have to wait and it is highly unlikely that Martins will be risked at Villa Park, especially as the draining effects of a long-haul flight from Ghana could have made the ankle injury worse. Meanwhile, Keegan has declared he will fight to keep Charles N’Zogbia at St James’s Park even though the French Under-21 international has been to see him to say he is unhappy at the club. N’Zogbia, who is suspended for the trip to Villa after collecting five yellow cards, only signed a new five-year contract in September having also expressed a desire to leave for the capital last season under Glenn Roeder. Fulham were keen to sign him on that occasion, but his impressive form for the Magpies this season has also attracted interest from Carling Cup finalists Tottenham Hotspur. The 21-year-old has claimed he wants to be closer to his family, who are living in London, and, given the fact both Kieron Dyer and Nolberto Solano were allowed to leave for family reasons last year, Keegan could struggle to persuade N’Zogbia his future should be on Tyneside. Keegan said: “Charles came to see me about all the speculation. He’s just signed a new contract here, but it’s something we’ll have to revisit again in the summer, because the signs are that he’s not that happy here. “But this is a big club, and we’ve got two or three months to work with him.” | 
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