Luque ready to play

Newcastle United winger Albert Luque has declared he is ready to prove his worth.

The Spaniard, who joined The Magpies in a £10 million move from Deportivo La Coruna in late August, has endured a frustrating start to his Newcastle career.

The 27-year-old tore his hamstring in his second match with the Toon Army back in September and has been sidelined ever since.

The Spain international, however, has given manager Graeme Souness a boost by returning to fitness ahead of Sunday's trip to Everton and stated he is ready to prove his worth to the St James' Park faithful.

"I've had some difficult weeks but now I'm raring to go and eager to show the fans what I can do," Luque said.

"The injury spoiled the beginning of my new experience but I'm fit now and ready to play again.

"I appreciate that the club have invested heavily in my services, but that sort of pressure gives me extra motivation.

"I faced a similar scenario a few years ago when I moved from Real Mallorca to Deportivo for ‚é¼13 million (£9 million) and handled it fine.

"The only way I can show that I am worth the price paid is out on the pitch and that's exactly what I intend to do."

Meanwhile, Souness has again come to the defence of under-fire centre back Jean-Alain Boumsong by revealing that the France international has been playing through a period of personal difficulty.

The former Auxerre and Rangers defender was criticised by Newcastle supporters for his performance in last Saturday's 3-0 defeat at champions Chelsea.

Souness came to the defence of the 25-year-old by revealing that Boumsong has been regularly tending to a seriously ill family member back in France.

"He has had things going on in his personal life," Souness said. "He has had a life-threatening problem for a person very dear to him and very close to him.

"I'm not asking people to be kind to him just because of that, but to accept he has a hell of a lot on his mind.

"The fact that he is coming to work every day tells you everything you have to know about him.

"I am privileged to work with him - he is a proper person and a proper footballer."