Newcastle United get £12m boost as defender ruled out for seven weeks ahead of Nottingham Forest & West Ham
Newcastle United will welcome Jacob Murphy back from a hamstring injury against Nottingham Forest on Sunday (2pm kick-off) but key players remain sidelined.
Murphy missed the wins over Chelsea and Arsenal due to injury but has returned to training in the build-up to the trip to Forest. Ahead of the game, Howe confirmed that Murphy is set to be available for the trip to the City Ground with no fresh injuries to report.
Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier will miss the match but are expected to be back in contention against West Ham United after the November international break. By that point, Trippier will have been out of action for seven weeks and Wilson won’t have featured in a competitive game for the club since the end of last season, almost six months ago.
“I don't think we are missing anyone new, “Howe said. “Jacob Murphy should be okay for Sunday.
We are still working on getting the injured players back - they are all making progress.”
When asked if it was too soon for Trippier and Wilson, Howe responded: “Yes.”
Newcastle’s squad was ravaged by injuries last season though so far this campaign, Howe’s squad have managed to stay comparatively fit with the only long-term absentees carrying over from last season and pre-season.
“At the moment we’re looking pretty good but still nursing a few injuries,” Howe added. “The schedule definitely plays a part in that with less games because games produce the most fatigue.
“But there’s other things too, I think we’re working smarter and James Bunce has come in and had a positive impact as well so lots of little things have helped us keep players fit.”