However, the star of England’s 2002 World Cup finals campaign has rediscovered his best form under Glenn Roeder and with Scott Parker having withdrawn from the squad for the trip to Belgium with a tight hamstring, the manager had no qualms about asking the 32-year-old to lead the team out at the Jules Otten Stadium.

Roeder said: “Nicky Butt will be captain tomorrow night. He has vast experience with Manchester United in Europe and he is having a wonderful season for us.

“He is a leader. He is out of the Manchester United school, that group of players – the (Gary and Phil) Nevilles, (David) Beckham, (Paul) Scholes - players like that who have all captained teams during their careers.

“Nicky will do a fine job for us tomorrow. When I asked him at lunchtime, he was delighted.”

Roeder’s decision to bring Butt back into the fold has paid off handsomely during a season in danger of being wrecked by injuries, and his consistency has been a major factor in the Magpies’ recent recovery, which continued on Saturday with a 2-1 Barclays Premiership win over high-flying Liverpool.

He said: “What had happened in the past to Nicky here was no concern to me whatsoever because I am not a person who looks backwards, I only look forwards.

“He has been a vital member, not just of the squad, but of the team this year. He carries massive respect in the dressing room. He is not a person of many words, but when Nicky speaks, it makes absolute sense.

“He is a football person through and through and I am very pleased we have got him tomorrow night to captain the side.”

Newcastle will head into the game, which is being played at KAA Gent’s stadium as Zulte’s Regenboogstadion home does not meet UEFA requirements, without Parker and United States defender Oguchi Onyewu, who is ineligible.

Onyewu, on loan from Belgian side Standard Liege who lost 3-1 to Zulte in the Juliper League at the weekend, has provided Roeder with useful information on tomorrow’s opponents, who are themselves struggling badly through injuries and suspension.

However, Roeder has dismissed coach Francky Dury’s comment that he expects his side to bow out of their first European campaign against the Premiership side.

Drury, a Gent detective who will become full-time boss next month, claims to have only 15 fit players, some of them like him part-timers, at his disposal.

But Roeder said: “I am certainly not going to fall for that one. I was quite surprised to hear their coach say he thought these would be their last two games in Europe.

“If he really believes that, perhaps he should not be managing the team because I do not believe that to be the truth.

“I have not taken any notice of it, the players have disregarded it. We are only concentrating on our own performance tomorrow and getting out with a good result. What their coach says is up to him, but it will have no effect on myself or my team.”

The Magpies party arrived in Belgium to be greeted by grey skies and torrential rain, and went through a limited training session on the pitch tonight, something Zulte had decided not to do earlier in the day.