Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has revealed that he is confident his side can cope with the absence of top scorer Demba Ba.
Ba will leave for the African Cup of Nations within the next few days along with midfielder Cheick Tiote.
Despite the former West Ham United striker's imminent departure, Pardew insists that the squad can continue to perform well.
The former Charlton manager told Sky Sports News: "[Leon] Best in particular stepped up to the plate when we lost [Andy] Carroll."
Pardew claims that the performances of his substitutes during their 3-0 win over Manchester United on Wednesday backs up his positive attitude.
"You see the guys who came off the bench contributed," he added.
Ba will be hoping to continue his goalscoring form for Senegal during the African Cup of Nations, held in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea starting later this month.
