Newcastle United defender facing surgery on longstanding injury

The 24-year-old defender, left out of Newcastle United’s 25-man squad along with Ciaran Clark last month following the club’s January transfer business, is seeing a groin specialist in Germany.

United head coach Eddie Howe said: "When I said when I left Jamal out of the 25-man squad, he's had injury problems so, at the moment, he's in Germany getting assessed and looked at by a groin specialist.

"He's had this groin problem now for over a year and we haven't quite fixed it for him. He has trained with us, but now he's going through a spell where he probably won't and he might well be operated on in the next few days. He's been excellent. When he's been around the building, he's been very good, as has Ciaran Clark.

"Those players who haven't been involved in the 25-man squad have been very professional."

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