Steve Bruce has today confirmed that DeAndre Yedlin looks set to miss tomorrow’ clash with Man City after picking up a hip problem.
The NUFC boss has also touched on Matt Ritchie’s latest setback after it was confirmed yesterday he’d be out until 2020 after a second operation, with Bruce also suggesting he has no plans to drop Almiron or Joelinton ahead of tomorrow’s game.
Sean Longstaff is also set to return from suspension, with Bruce admitting it’ll be “good to have him back” ahead of tomorrow’s game, but first-team trio Yedlin, Lascelles and Ritchie will all miss out.
Bruce on Yedlin:
“We’ve got a problem with DeAndre Yedlin. He’s hurt his hip.
“Apart from that everybody else is OK.”
Yedlin struggled at Villa last time out, but his pace could’ve been key against the likes of Raheem Sterling – even if he is prone to switching off.
The fact he states that ‘everybody else is OK’ suggests both Fabian Schar and Florian Lejeune are fit, so it’ll be interesting to see if either are recalled for this one.
Bruce on Almiron, Joelinton and ASM:
“Up until Monday against Aston Villa, where we weren’t good enough across the board, I’ve been delighted with them. Against Bournemouth and against West Ham they were terrific so I’ll keep persevering with them.”
“We’re all disappointed with how we played against Aston Villa. We didn’t play well enough and that’s not just the front three that’s the whole team. The most important thing for me is always the team.”
Bruce on Matt Ritchie’s setback:
“It’s a tiny piece of bone which came away with the impact [from the tackle] so they’ve gone into the tendon to remove it.
“These operations are minor so hopefully it’s done the trick and we see him January.”
With all of the above in mind, could this be the team that starts tomorrow?
(5-4-1): Dubravka – Krafth, Schar, Fernandez, Clark, Willems – Almiron, Hayden, Longstaff, Saint-Maximin – Joelinton?
