Newcastle United injury boost v Southampton as key man spotted in training - £15m star returns & five missing

The Magpies suffered a late injury scare in their final pre-season friendly game against Stade Brestois last weekend as defender Fabian Schar limped off with an ankle issue. Head coach Eddie Howe said after the match that he hoped it wasn’t too bad an issue for the Swiss centre-back.

And that seems to be the case as Schar has since returned to training with the first team ahead of Saturday’s Premier League opener at St James’ Park. Schar is likely to start at centre-back for The Magpies having missed just two league matches last season due to injury.

Howe will decide whether Dan Burn or new signing Lloyd Kelly will start alongside Schar against The Saints with The Magpies boss suggesting places are still up for grabs.

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When asked about his team selection, Howe said: “[The players] have got a chance to train some more before the [Southampton] match so I need to see players at their optimum before making a decision.”

In addition to Schar training, Matt Targett was also pictured at the training ground after a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to injury. The left-back hasn’t featured for Newcastle in a competitive game for over nine months due to an initial hamstring issue followed by an Achilles problem.

The 28-year-old wasn’t pictured in full training but could be seen playing teqball with Kieran Trippier, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes at Darsley Park.

As expected, Sven Botman (knee), Jamaal Lascelles (knee), Callum Wilson (back), Joe White (back) and Lewis Miley (foot) were not in training this week.