The striker has not started a game under Joe Kinnear, and the return of Mark Viduka and Shola Ameobi to fitness has seemingly pushed the summer signing further to the fringes, with Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins and Andy Carroll also ahead of him in the pecking order.

But first-team coach Hughton is confident the 22-year-old, signed from Deportivo La Coruna on transfer deadline day for a reported £5m-plus fee, can adapt to English football after a difficult first few months in the country.

Xisco – who scored on his debut against Hull City in September – is back in training and available for selection going into Saturday's home game against Stoke City.

"It hasn't been easy for Xisco," said Hughton. "He came here on transfer deadline day and didn't have a pre-season with us.

"We're still finding about him and he's still finding about us, but he's still a young player at 22, and we're expecting that he'll get better and better."

Hughton, meanwhile, was in charge for the Hull game, a 2-1 defeat, and the 49-year-old admits he was glad put his short spell as caretaker manager behind him after the arrival of Kinnear, who was last week handed a contract until the end of the season.

And he is convinced he has a lot to offer Newcastle on the training field, believing coaching is what he does best.

"That time at the helm hasn't affected my confidence," said Hughton. "I felt the biggest factor why we didn't do well was that I was without some of our best players.

"With due respect to Cacapa, forcing him to play him in midfield and using two central defenders at full-back wasn't what I would have wanted.

"But my saving grace is that I'm still very much involved in the coaching and preparations of Newcastle United, and I'm trying to do the best job I can for the club."

* Newcastle's reserve fixture away to Manchester City last night fell victim to the cold weather, and a new date is yet to be arranged.