GLENN Roeder acknowledged that Nolberto Solano has a good claim to be recognised as the best foreign player ever to represent Newcastle United ahead of the club's UEFA Cup clash with Zulte-Waregem tonight.

The Magpies have had several outstanding overseas players wear the famous black and white shirts in recent years, and each one of them could quite justifiably lay claim to the title.

George Robledo, who dazzled United fans with his silky skills in the 1950s alongside Jackie Milburn, is one. The Chile international appeared 146 times and netted 82 goals in a four-year career, which also saw him claim two FA Cup winner's medals.

Philippe Albert, Pavel Srnicek, David Ginola, Laurent Robert and Faustino Asprilla could all make a challenge, for one reason or another, yet none of the aforementioned former United favourites can claim to having longer service than the Peruvian international.

Solano, who arrived on Tyneside in a £2.5m deal nearly nine years ago, makes his 300th appearance for the Magpies tonight, with Roeder acknowledging that he is one of the finest overseas player in the club's history.

"He is undoubtedly one of our best foreign players," said the United boss, looking to maintain the club's unbeaten European run tonight.

"I guess there'll be fans who will say Nobby, and others who will say (David) Ginola, who for a few seasons was unplayable. But Nobby has stayed here and been very very consistent. He has endeared himself to our supporters and rightly so.

"He's a character and there's not a lot left in football. At times he has the rest of us in stitches with his dry sense of humour.

"The only time he cheeses us off is when he plays that bloody trumpet."

The Newcastle boss believes the Peruvian has endeared himself to the club's supporters because he fits the paradigm of what Magpies' fans actually believe it takes to be a footballer at St James' Park. In other words, he has become a terrace favourite due to his technical brilliance and grace.

Roeder added: "Supporters here expect to see gifted players who can pass the ball, dribble and beat people. He's lost a yard or two of pace but his brain is still amazingly quick.

"He is a Newcastle type player. We know we have to win in style and Nobby plays with style."

Solano, meanwhile, issued a warning to his teammates ahead of the clash with Zulte-Waregem.

The Magpies hold a 3-1 advantage going into the contest at St James' Park and are widely expected to go through to the last-16 of the competition at the expense of the Belgian Jupiler League side.

But Solano warned his United colleagues to avoid any complacency against Franck Dury's visiting side, and used the club's 5-1 thrashing by Birmingham City as a reminder of what can happen when a job is only half done.

"It's not finished yet," insisted the 32-year-old, who will make his 40th European appearance for Newcastle. "They have nothing to lose because everybody expects them to go out after the first result.

"They will throw everything at us and we have to be ready for that. We have to make sure we complete the job and qualify for the next round. We have already seen what happened against Birmingham City in the FA Cup and we have to make sure we are very professional again in the home leg

"We talked about what happened against Birmingham City before the game (in Ghent) and we had to make sure we had the right mentality and it's the same for the second leg. We don't want any upsets after such a good result in the first leg, that would be terrible for us and our fans."

Newcastle are set to play the winners of AZ Alkmaar's contest with Fenerbahce, whom United beat 1-0 in the earlier group stage of the competition.

The Turkish side were initially the favourites to progress in that tie but the Dutch outfit grabbed a 3-3 draw on opposition territory and now have a slight advantage, courtesy of the away goal.

AZ lie third in the Dutch Eredivisie, only a point behind second-placed Ajax, while Fenerbahce are seven points clear of Galatasaray at the top of the Turkish Turkcell Super Lig.

But regardless of whom United meet, both sides will still provide formidable opposition in the next round.

Yet Solano is confident Newcastle can make progress in a competition in which they have produced their best performances of the season, and then reward the club's fanatical following by eventually lifting the trophy.

He said: "It would be fantastic for me to win a trophy at Newcastle."