Newcastle United have lost their starting shot-stopper, Nick Pope, for the next four months. Having suffered a dislocated shoulder on Saturday against Manchester United, repairing the problem will now require surgery (more on this here). The very long Newcastle injury list only just begins there however.
Ahead of the last match, manager Eddie Howe provided the latest updates on Sven Botman and Harvey Barnes.
Newcastle United at Everton FC FYIs
Kickoff: Thur. Dec. 7, 8:15pm, Goodison Park
Newcastle United Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
He’s not training with us at the moment, we’re building him up very slowly with his load so we don’t hit the knee with too much,” Howe said of Botman ahead of the win over Manchester United. “He’s had a knee injury obviously and at the moment he’s reacting really well to the work that he’s doing. We hope that continues. He’s such a big player for us, we’d love to get him back.”
Regarding Barnes, Howe had previously said the winger could be back after the November international break, but apparently the freak injury he suffered to his foot is taking longer to heal than had been expected to heal.
“We not seen him [Barnes] train with us yet,” said Howe.
The news is better in regards to Sean Longstaff (ankle), who is still not back match fit yet, but is pushing to reach that status by Thursday.
Elsewhere Dan Burn (back), Matt Targett (thigh) Elliot Anderson (back) and Javi Manquillo (groin) are all ruled out of the trip to Everton on Thursday.
Additionally, Callum Wilson (thigh injury), Joe Willock (Achilles tendon) and Jacob Murphy (shoulder injury) will all be out until after the festive period fixture congestion.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager 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’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.