He put in an impressive performance as Shay Given's deputy against Aston Villa last weekend, but Kevin Keegan has confirmed that the Irish goalkeeper remains his No 1.
A scan on Given's injured groin has not revealed any major damage, and the Irishman has been told to rest before hopefully returning to full training next week.
Keegan: 'If Shay Is Fit - He Plays Against Man Utd'!
Kevin Keegan: "We will have to assess the situation again next week but Shay's injury does not look as though it is a bad one.
"It was an unfortunate one because he did it trying to change direction when Villa scored and he had to come off. We were obviously concerned at first because he was in too much pain to continue, but we are hopeful he will be fit again by the time we play Manchester United next week.
"It was an unfortunate one because he did it trying to change direction when Villa scored and he had to come off. We were obviously concerned at first because he was in too much pain to continue, but we are hopeful he will be fit again by the time we play Manchester United next week.
"I think we've got the best pair of goalkeepers in the Premier League, I honestly do.
"We're very lucky to have them. I don't know every pair of goalkeepers at every club in the division, but I've seen or worked with most of them during my time as a manager.
"I signed Steve Harper as a young boy and I liked him then and I like him now. He will get his chances, I'm sure of that. He's the sort of guy that, if you had a daughter, you'd be happy if she brought him home to meet you.
"Whenever Steve has gone into the side he has done well and I don't think people realise how good he is. That was what our goalkeeping coach Paul Barron said when he first came to the club.
"I suppose Shay has just got the edge over him because he has so much experience. He has played so many games, not just with Newcastle United, but with Blackburn Rovers before that and with the Republic of Ireland of course.
"We've also got a couple of young goalkeepers at the club at the moment, Fraser Forster and a young Swedish lad called Ole Soderberg who has been training with the first-team squad. They are both learning from Steve and Shay, so we're very well off in that position."