Newcastle United issue massive Kieran Trippier injury update ahead of Liverpool game as Callum Wilson pushes for comeback

Trippier, sidelined since fracturing a metatarsal in mid-February, took part in one session this week ahead of tomorrow’s game.

Callum Wilson, out since December 27 with a calf/Achilles problem, is yet to return to training, though Howe is still hopeful that he’ll be available before the end of the season.

United’s head coach said: “Kieran and Callum are getting closer.

"I don’t think they’ll be ready for this week, but, Kieran, we’ve seen on the grass, and trained with us one session. Callum’s not quite there yet, but he’s edging closer and doing a lot of work with the sports science team.”

Howe added: “We definitely won’t rush them back, and we won’t put them at risk, but if they’re fit and available, we’ll use them like any other player.

"I think that’s important. They’ve had targets they’ve set themselves, goals to hit, and I think it’s important, when you’re long-term injured, that you have those things, and that’s helped them get back in the speed that they have.

"We’ll take things on an individual basis, we’ll try and make the right decisions, but we certainly don’t want to put them at risk.”

Newcastle, winless when Howe took charge in November, are ninth in the Premier League table ahead of the game against second-placed Liverpool, which is followed by an away fixture against leaders Manchester City next weekend.

“Certainly, the run-in didn't look good on paper for us," said Howe. “We were well aware of the games we had, and it was similar to December when we first came in.

“You look at the fixture list then, we knew it was going to be a difficult month and it was for us. We had to get through that period with the confidence intact, and I think we just about managed to do that, and then January was obviously an important month for us.

“Now we're at that run-in stage, yes, it's going to be difficult for us, but it's a great position for us to be in, that we have a healthy points tally.

“But we want to add to it and keep winning games if we can."