Dwight Gayle could return to action for Newcastle United in as little as two weeks time, according to Steve Bruce.
Bruce has also tipped injured trio Martin Dubravka, Jonjo Shelvey and Matt Ritchie to be “there or thereabouts” regarding a return to training after the international break.
Speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle ahead of tonight’s trip to Southampton, the manager revealed how hard Gayle has been working behind the scenes and seemed hopeful the forgotten striker will be back in the coming weeks.
Gayle hasn’t kicked a ball in 20/21 after picking up a knee injury in pre-season and was expected to be out until after Christmas.
Fortunately, it looks as though he could return to action sooner than expected. Here is what Bruce said about Gayle:
The NUFC boss then had this to say on Dubravka, Ritchie and Shelvey, suggesting all three will be nearing a return to training after the upcoming international break:
“We’re hoping to have some sort of improvement after the break.
“I’m not going to put a time on anything, but they’re getting there – and that’s the case with Ritchie too.
“After the international break, we could see the three of them there or thereabouts. Certainly to start training, anyway.”
Dubravka hasn’t been missed as much as we though following Darlow’s stunning form, while Ritchie and Shelvey will also face a real fight to get back into Bruce’s plans when fully fit.
Back to Gayle – as nasty as it may sound, a silver lining of his injury is that it possibly forced us to act swiftly on securing the deal for our current top scorer, Callum Wilson.
With us now facing a nervous wait on Wilson after he left the field holding his hamstring last night, we’ll have to hope Gayle is back soon and ready to step in should we need him!
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