Newcastle are facing a number of injury problems ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Brighton, as midfielder Joelinton is now a doubt for the match.
The Brazilian seemingly picked up a knock to his knee in last week’s defeat to Liverpool, and could be set to miss out as Newcastle aim to avoid a third consecutive loss.
Newcastle are sweating over the fitness of defender Sven Botman, and if both players, who are crucial for Eddie Howe, end up missing out, it could be a tough trip for the Magpies.
Howe has now stated that he will make a decision closer to kick-off over Joelinton, as it is still unclear whether he will be available to start.
“(He’s) another player that we’re going to make a late decision,” Howe claimed.
“He hasn’t trained this week, very similar to Sven. He’s done some light jogging, he feels better with each day. We’ll make a late call.”
Possible solutions
If both Botman and Joelinton are absent, Howe has a number of options available to him.
He could throw new signing Lewis Hall in at left-back, with Dan Burn moving central to cover for Botman.
Joelinton has become a crucial cog for Howe, and was previously described as “brilliant” by Jamie Carragher. His absence will be noticable, and facing tough opponents like Brighton will require steel in midfield.
With that in mind, Sean Longstaff may be the best option to replace him in the midfield three alongside Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes. Whilst this might be a more defence-minded option than Elliot Anderson, or even moving Anthony Gordon to a central role, this is a choice which will give Newcastle more protection in the middle of the park.
Newcastle have had a tough start to the season in terms of fixtures, and tough draws in the Champions League and Carabao Cup will not help matters, with it now paramount that the side’s injured stars can return as soon as possible.
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