Newcastle United have been handed another injury boost with Karl Darlow returning to training ahead of Sunday’s trip to Southampton.

Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe confirmed Darlow had been out on the grass after suffering an ankle injury back in September.

“[Darlow’s recovery] is going well, he's on the grass with the goalkeepers,” Howe said last month. “Not necessarily full training but again, the latter stages of his recovery.”

Darlow’s injury was such that United decided to sign free agent Loris Karius outside of the transfer window to bolster their goalkeeping options.

Karl Darlow of Newcastle United FC in action during the warm up before the start of the Eusebio Cup match between SL Benfica and Newcastle United at Estadio da Luz on July 26, 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)

placeholder image — Karl Darlow of Newcastle United FC in action during the warm up before the start of the Eusebio Cup match between SL Benfica and Newcastle United at Estadio da Luz on July 26, 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)

And Darlow has been pictured back in training with the rest of the Newcastle squad this week.

The 32-year-old posted a photo of him alongside Karius on Instagram with the caption: “Back out on the grass. All smiles with Loris Karius.”

While Darlow is unlikely to feature in the Premier League ahead of Nick Pope, his return to training is a timely one ahead of next Wednesday’s Carabao Cup match against Crystal Palace.