One of Newcastle’s more forgotten men has returned to the club after his loan spell was forcibly cut short via injury.

It has transpired to be another unsuccessful loan spell for one of our more fringe players, with this coming after Isaac Hayden’s spell at Standard Liege was also cut short last season.

Similarly to Hayden, the now returning player is unlikely to reintegrate back into the squad and it’s likely his time with us will soon come to an end.

Another blow for unlucky Lewis

Jamal Lewis’ loan spell with São Paulo has come to a premature end as the 26-year-old now requires surgery to fix an ongoing injury issue.

The left back confirmed on his Instagram that he will be returning from Brazil, and that they won’t be progressing with the option to buy to clause inserted within the initial season-long loan switch.

Nevertheless, the Northern Irishman’s days in black-and-white are numbered with his contract coming to an end at the close of the season and the club having no intention of offering an extension.

Lewis said on Instagram: “I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to continue my journey with São Paulo FC next season. I’ve been having an issue that’s been giving me a lot of pain when l’ve been playing for months, requiring surgery and a few months of recovery.

“Sorry I couldn’t show my gratitude to the fans for showing my true level on the pitch. I wish the tricolor all the best in the future.”

Disastrous few years following £15m move

Lewis has barely made an impression on Tyneside after arriving with much promise following a £15 million move from Norwich City.

He signed at a tough time during the Steve Bruce era and injuries also impacted his availability soon after Eddie Howe’s appointment, but it’s fair to say that, for one reason or another, he hasn’t gone on to become the player we hoped he would become.

Lewis played just seven minutes of football in the Premier League in 2022/23 and hasn’t featured for us in any competition since, with his latest fitness setback summing up a frustrating few years for the full-back, who also missed a fair chunk of football while on loan at Watford last season

Sadly, it feels like time to cut our losses now. It would have been good to recoup some of the initial investment, but at the very least getting the wages off the books will help slightly with our PSR situation. That looks unlikely this month now he’s set for another spell on the sidelines, so we’ll likely help with his recovery over the next few months before he’s released as a free transfer at the end of the 2024/25 season.