Newcastle United midfielder ruled out v Man City after Chelsea appearance - may not start again this season

Newcastle United midfielder made his second competitive appearance for the club as he came off the bench during Monday's 3-2 defeat at Chelsea.

The 21-year-old was a late introduction in the match but still saw plenty of the ball as The Magpies pushed for a way back into the game. But White won't get the opportunity to build on his tidy cameo at Stamford Bridge when Newcastle travel to face Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday (5:30pm kick-off).

White is cup-tied for the match having already made three appearances in the FA Cup this season during his loan spell at Crewe Alexandra. The Newcastle academy graduate made 25 appearances for Crewe in all competitions during the first half of the campaign, scoring three times and grabbing three assists.

The League Two side were keen to extend White's stay until the end of the season while several other EFL sides were interested in taking the midfielder on loan. But with Newcastle short of bodies amid an injury crisis, a decision was made for White to return to Tyneside where he will remain part of the first-team set-up until the end of the season.

White made his debut in the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth last month before being left out of Newcastle's next three matchday squads as Joe Willock returned from injury. He captained Newcastle's Under-21s in their recent 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers before returning to the bench for the Chelsea match.

After starting regularly for Crewe, White may have to wait to make his full Newcastle debut given the increased competition for places in midfield with Willock and Elliot Anderson returning from injury.

When asked if White would feature more for Newcastle this season, Howe responded: "Who knows? Joe is training with us every day and he’s working on lots of different aspects of his game, he’s really improving and I’m pleased with him.

"I’ve seen a big improvement, a big step forward after his loan spell and I think it was a really productive time in his career. I’m hopeful this spell with us now will be equally productive and he can be a big part of our future."