Newcastle United have been handed an injury boost ahead of their trip to Southampton – but it isn’t all cheer for Eddie Howe.
The Magpies must bounce back from their 4-1 defeat against Bournemouth with a win on the south coast if they are to keep the flames alight under their top four push.
News out of the Southampton camp this week has given Toon further hope against the side rooted to the bottom of the Premier League.
Southampton star ruled out
Southampton sensation and reported Toon target Tyler Dibling picked up an ankle injury against Manchester United that is expected to keep him on the sidelines for between four and six weeks.
The fearless winger has been the Saints’ standout player this season and is often their biggest threat with his ball carrying skills from the right second to none. However, they’ll be without him for Saturday’s 3pm kick-off at St. Mary’s.
Dibling was substituted off after 63 minutes with injury against Ruben Amorim’s side after playing a key part in the games opening goal as the teenager’s header was turned into Manuel Ugarte’s own net. After that, the Saints collapsed and lost 3-1 thanks to a late Amad Diallo hat-trick.
Dibling was consequently left out of the squad for the following game against Nottingham Forest with the severity of the injury now becoming clearer and proving he will miss at least a further trio of Prem fixtures – including against Newcastle this Saturday.
Blow to slim January hopes
The short-term gain of Dibling’s injury for Newcastle may simultaneously put an end to our slim hopes of signing the teenager in what remains of the January window.
If the news that he is out for up to six weeks rings true, I’d be surprised if we now pursued the winger who may be missing for the remainder of January and February, with a summer scramble more likely between a number of clubs.
A Miguel Almiron departure may well have opened the door for us to get ahead of the curve and get our business concluded promptly, but it seems unlikely we take the plunge now if we couldn’t get use out of our investment until March.
