Newcastle United have certainly had more than their fair share of injuries these past two seasons. Other than Tottenham Hotspur, it’s hard to think of a club that has been bitten harder, by the injury bug these past couple years, than Newcastle. And we already have three injury concerns this summer, with the preseason slate only having just begun. Newcastle beat Darlington, 3-0, in a behind closed doors friendly over the weekend. Next weekend they’ll travel to Gateshead, for their second friendly of the summer. So with that in mind, let’s get you up to speed on the health/fitness situation, focusing on the injured trio of Valentino Livramento, Lewis Miley and Fabian Schar.
Valentino Livramento
Tino suffered a calf injury while training with England ahead of the World Cup. The injury was severe enough to cost him his tournament. However, he should be back soon, as the club statemnent, back on June 30, read:
“NUFC can confirm that Tino Livramento has successfully undergone a minor surgical procedure. The defender, who returned from World Cup duty with an injury, is expected to return during pre-season.”
Lewis Miley
It remains to be seen if he can return to action by opening day of the regular season, but Miley is recovering well, right now. He is back outdoors, running on the grass again at Newcastle’s training ground.
His recovery, from a broken fibula late last season, is progressing nicely, but we should not expect to see him feature in any preseason matches.
Fabian Schar
After having dealt with an ankle ligament injury, and then a foot infection which required surgery, Schar has been through a lot lately. However, he’s back in first team training now, and should be good to go against Gateshead. At least in theory.
The Magpies are also missing several players right now due to their just having participated in the World Cup, and thus are on holiday right now. We’ll cover this list when we preview the friendly against Gateshead later on this week.
Team Injury Updates as Preseason Friendlies Commence
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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, Ratings and RG. 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 and the Washington Post.