Newcastle United midfielder given ‘two week’ injury time frame after returning to club

Hayden, who missed the second half of last season at Newcastle due to a knee injury, was loaned out to Championship side Norwich in the summer.

But shortly after arriving in Norfolk, Hayden was back on the treatment table after experiencing swelling in his knee and required a ‘minor’ operation.

Three months into the Championship season and Hayden is yet to feature for the Canaries as he waits to make his first competitive appearance of 2022.

The 27-year-old has returned to Newcastle to work on his recovery but Norwich boss Dean Smith expects the midfielder to be back within the next ‘two weeks'.

Smith said in his pre-match press conference: “He had to go for a review back at Newcastle and they felt he had a slight effusion in the knee so he’s not trained yet.

“I expect him back in the next two weeks.”