Steve Bruce has recalled Ki to his midfield and handed Emil Krafth a start at Carrow Road this afternoon.
The retired South Korea midfielder replaces Sean Longstaff with Javier Manquillo also relegated to the bench for the clash with Norwich City.
Longstaff is still recovering from a knee injury with Bruce keen to treat him delicately but his omission prompted a few raised eyebrows in the build-up to the big match against the Canaries.
Allan Saint-Maximin was also missing after sustaining a knock in training this week with Bruce not risking the Frenchman.
Bruce was looking for his first win as Toon boss in the Premier League following the 1-0 reverse against Arsenal.
NUFC teams : Dubravka; Schar, Lascelles, Dummett; Krafth, Ki, Shelvey, Hayden, Ritchie; Almiron, Joelinton
Subs : Darlow, Manquillo, Fernandez, Clark, Willems, S Longstaff, Muto
