Newcastle United receive double fitness boost as key player set for Liverpool return

Eddie Howe has confirmed that Joelinton has trained with the group ahead of Sunday’s clash with the Reds. The Brazilian limped off at the Etihad Stadium amid fears that he may not be able to feature against Jurgen Klopp’s side.

However, Howe has since allayed these worries, revealing that the midfielder is in contention to feature at the weekend. Howe said: “Joe is fine.

“We didn’t see him in the early part of the week but he trained in the latter part so fingers crossed he’s ok.”

Howe has a fairly full squad to pick from against Liverpool with just long-term absentees Emil Krafth and Joe Willock missing through injury. Krafth isn’t expected to return to first-team action for little while after he continues his recovery from an ACL injury he suffered over a year ago against Tranmere Rovers.Willock, meanwhile, hasn’t been seen in action since the penultimate home game of last season after suffering a hamstring injury against Brighton. The former Arsenal man didn’t play at all during pre-season but Howe has offered an encouraging update on his potential return to action.

Howe said: “He’s making good progress. I’d say this is probably the strongest his hamstring has looked.

“He had his hamstring rescanned a few days ago and the report back on that scan was very, very good. No problems. 

“As I have said before, he had a bit of fatigue in his hamstring. I don’t think it was a major re-injury.

“He’s done really well, he’s committed to his work and we hope he will be training with us around the international break time. He’s a massive, massive player."