Newcastle United defender returns to training after injury as new signing not ‘seen’

Manquillo has been sidelined for around a month following a groin ‘complaint’ that kept him out of the final pre-season friendly matches as well as the opening three Premier League games for Newcastle.

But the right-back is back in training ahead of the trip to Brighton & Hove Albion this Saturday (5:30pm kick-off). With The Magpies signing 20-year-old right-back Tino Livramento from Southampton for around £30million this summer and Emil Krafth close to returning from injury, Manquillo is facing an uncertain future on Tyneside.

The 29-year-old didn’t start a single Premier League match last season with Kieran Trippier established as the first choice right-back.

And Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe even admitted that Manquillo would be free to leave the club should he wish.

When asked if the defender could leave before Friday’s deadline, Howe said: “I think that’ll depend on what he wants really.

“For me, I’m trying to build the squad as depth as we can for the robust season we have ahead. At the moment, it seems very calm but we’re going to have games coming as soon as this international break comes.

“After that, we’ve got a really intense period of games. We need the depth in the squad. I’d like him to stay but it’s in his hands.”

One player not pictured in training by the club was latest signing Lewis Hall. The 18-year-old left-back joined on loan from Chelsea last week but wasn’t part of the squad that were beaten 2-1 by Liverpool at St James’ Park on Sunday.

Explaining the teenager’s absence, Howe told The Gazette: “He’s trained with us but he’s not played a game during pre-season so he’s only trained and is some way short of being match fit.”

Another player not seen in training was defender Sven Botman. The 23-year-old limped off during Sunday’s match with an ankle injury and is expected to miss the trip to Brighton as a result.

Further updates will be provided by the Newcastle boss in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning.