Eddie Howe calls up three youngsters to Newcastle United first-team training amid injury crisis

Preparations for the visit of Aston Villa are well underway on Tyneside as the Magpies go in search of three league wins in a row. A win on Saturday could see Newcastle end the day in third place.

Their pursuit of this feat has been boosted by Jonjo Shelvey’s continued recovery from injury with the latest round of training pictures released by the club showing the midfielder taking part in training. Shelvey made his long-awaited return to action at the weekend with a cameo appearance at the end of the win over Spurs and will hope to build on that this weekend.

Injuries to Alexander Isak and Allan Saint-Maximin haven’t derailed Newcastle too much this season and, as expected, neither were pictured in training on Wednesday. Elliot Anderson, who missed Sunday’s game against Spurs with a knock, was also not pictured in the shots released by the club.

However, Under-21 players Joe White and Jude Smith were pictured playing a major part in training - as was striker Michael Ndiweni. Ndiweni has featured for the Under-18’s and Under-21’s in recent seasons and played 74 minutes during the Papa John’s Trophy clash with Doncaster Rovers - one Newcastle would ultimately lose on penalties.

Both White and Smith also played that day as they look for a potential opening in Howe’s senior side. Smith, who was signed from East Fife in the summer, was pictured alongside fellow shot shoppers Nick Pope and Loris Karius on Wednesday with Karl Darlow still sidelined through injury.

White, who was on the fringes of the first-team under Steve Bruce at the beginning of last season, was also involved with first-team training as he continues his recovery from an injury - something that Newcastle’s lead player development coach Elliot Dickman hopes the midfielder can overcome quickly: “Joe’s just come back from an injury.” Dickman said. “We’re just trying to get him back as fit as he can be, as quick as we can.”

White, who scored a wonderful free-kick against Southampton at the weekend, isn’t a stranger to first-team affairs and it is hoped he could follow in Anderson’s footsteps to make an impression in the senior side.