Newcastle issue Joelinton injury update and Howe reveals Botman surprise
Eddie Howe has issued an update on Joelinton after the midfielder was not included in the matchday squad against ten-man Ipswich Town.
Joe Willock stepped into the midfield as the Mags climbed back into third as they returned to winning ways with a comfortable 3-0 victory that ultimately confirmed the Tractor Boys relegation to the Championship.
Saturday afternoon also saw a welcome return to the St. James’ Park turf for Sven Botman. The Dutchman came on for Fabian Schar in the 83rd minute to mark his first appearance since having a knee operation in February.
Howe gave an update on the status of Joelinton and revealed a surprise regarding Botman in his post-match press conference.
Newcastle issue Joelinton update
Joelinton has been pushing through knee pain for the last few months and has gone to see a specialist, revealed Eddie Howe.
“He’s going to see a specialist, and I’m sure he’ll be scanned there as well,” said the Mags manager. “He trained yesterday and just felt that his knee wasn’t 100 per cent right.
“That’s the knee that he had an injury with earlier in the season. He’s done brilliantly to play through the number of games he has without being 100 per cent fit, but he got to the point where he felt it needed a slight intervention. Let’s keep our fingers crossed it’s not serious.”
The Brazilian’s absence will provide a rare opportunity for gametime to both Joe Willock and Lewis Miley. The undroppable trio of Joelinton, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes have seen minutes hard to come by for the lads lower down the pecking order.
Willock failed to capitalise on a huge opportunity against Ipswich and failed to do anything to make him standout. Miley, who came on for Willock in the 67th minute, looked sharp but the game was already done with us 2-0, and a man, to the good upon his entrance.
Fingers crossed though the news for Joelinton isn’t too bad, and the preferred midfield three can reunite ASAP as we continue to push for a Champions League spot.
Howe reveals Botman surprise
“Big presence” Sven Botman’s return to action on Saturday was ahead of schedule, according to Eddie Howe.
Despite concerns about the fitness of Fabian Schar the Swissman was still deemed fit to start against Ipswich, despite being forced off with a hamstring injury against Aston Villa, leaving Botman to come on in the latter stages against Kieran McKenna’s side.
A reintroduction that was ideal for the 25-year-old, is the belief of the gaffer.
“He (Botman) is slightly ahead of where we thought he’d be, but he trained really well this week and looked excellent,” said Howe. “He’s looked after himself and done everything right to try to come back as quickly as possible.
“He is a great professional, and he’s also a big presence for us, we’ve missed him. It was great to be able to bring him onto the pitch in a game that maybe wouldn’t stress him as much as normal. It was a perfect reintroduction into the game.”
