Newcastle United handed 'really important' boost after nine-month injury blow
Fabian Schar marked his first competitive start for Newcastle United in nine months to help secure a 1-0 Carabao Cup third-round win at Millwall.
Fabian Schar marked his long-awaited return to the Newcastle United starting line-up with a clean sheet in a 1-0 win at Millwall.
The Magpies progressed to the last 16 of the Carabao Cup thanks to Joe Willock’s late winner at The Den. It saw Matthias Jaissle continue his unbeaten start as Newcastle head coach.
For Schar, it marked his first competitive start since suffering a serious ankle injury against Leeds United back in January. The Swiss centre-back then suffered a foot infection that delayed his return to playing into the 2026/27 campaign.
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Schar returned to action in pre-season but suffered a fresh injury setback in the 4-1 defeat at Bristol City in July. Tuesday night’s trip to Millwall marked his first taste of competitive action in nine months.
But head coach Jaissle insists Schar has a crucial role to play in his squad regardless of whether he is on the pitch or not.
“In my first one-to-one conversation with him [Schar], I told him that independent of whether he is playing or not playing, he is a really important factor and a really important player for us,” Jaissle said following the win at Millwall.
“Due to his personality, his quality and his experience, he is a very important part of our squad and our team. It’s always nice to have players like him in the squad, especially when you have quite a young squad around him.”
Schar is now into his ninth season at Newcastle and is the club’s longest continually serving player. And this summer has seen plenty of change both on and off the pitch at United.
“That’s how it goes in football,” Schar said last month. “Teams change. It’s always been that way and will remain so. I have great confidence in us.
“First and foremost, I’m grateful to be completely healthy again. I know I don’t have another ten years of football ahead of me.
“I enjoy being on the field, in the locker room and walking into our stadium. At the start of a career, you always set big goals for yourself, talking about titles and goals. I’m at a point where what matters most to me is enjoying the whole experience, if I can do that, further successes will follow.”