Newcastle United attacking midfielder Joelinton may or may not miss the remainder of the season, due to a knee injury. Sure, at this point “could miss the rest of the season” is a phrase that certainly does not have the same gravitas as it usually does. It’s just this weekend, next weekend and then Championship Sunday at this point; that’s it! Joelinton could be fit enough to maybe feature on Championship Sunday, but likely not before that.
“I saw Joe yesterday for the first time in a while, as he’d been away… He’s been back in Barcelona for another injection,” Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said.
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Howe had more on Joelinton: “I think he’s feeling pretty good. Whether we see him before the end of the season, we’ll see.”
Elsewhere Fabian Schar and Kieran Trippier both face late fitness tests for Sunday due to what could be potential thigh injuries…or just nothing but cramps. Howe said of Schar last weekend: “I’m not 100 per cent sure what’s happened with Fab, he was limping. I don’t know whether that was a cramp or a muscle injury, so we’ll have to check.”
On Trippier, he was more confident: “I’m pretty sure that with Kieran, it was just cramp.”
Shifting gears to Chelsea, the only real news here is that youngster Marc Guiu could finally return from a long injury layoff.
“Marc could even be involved in tomorrow’s squad,” Blues boss Enzo Maresca said.
“We are not sure yet, we will make a decision on him, but he is getting closer. Maybe it’s better for Marc to have a few more days of training, but he is very close to being back with us.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter