‘I truly respect him’ - Newcastle United star reveals classy Eddie Howe gesture amid long-term injury setback

Newcastle United midfielder Joe Willock made his long-awaited return to the first-team on Wednesday night when he came on as a second-half substitute for Jacob Murphy. Willock had been on the sidelines since May after first suffering a hamstring injury before a setback in September kept him waiting for a little longer to make his return.

It was a frustrating time for the former Arsenal man, however, he has revealed that he was supported by Eddie Howe on a daily basis during his recovery and has thanked the head coach for his help during his injury lay-off.

Willock said: “He gave me support. He never went a day without seeing me, he never went a day without speaking to me and asking [about] the mental side [of my recovery]. We just had a lot of good conversations and it means a lot.

“When you’re out for so long you have this fear that people forget about you around the ground and stuff, but the gaffer made sure he saw me everyday and we have a good relationship. I truly respect him a lot for that.”

Willock’s initial hamstring injury occurred in the penultimate Premier League match at St James’ Park last season during a 4-1 win over Brighton. That win, coupled with a slip-up by Liverpool a couple of days later, meant Newcastle were able to secure Champions League qualification with a goalless draw against Leicester City in their final home game of the season.

The former Arsenal man had to watch from the stands on that occasion and has been forced to watch his teammates compete against AC Milan and PSG upon their return to European football’s premier competition. Willock was also asked about his emotions during that time in what has been a difficult few months.

Willock said: “It was very hard to deal with. On one side I was very happy for the team and I was over the moon that we achieved what we set out to do last season and now we’re competing in the Champions League. But at the same time, I was disappointed to get injured.

“I’m back now and I’m looking to push on. I’m really happy to be back and helping the team a lot.”