Newcastle United striker a doubt v Wolves after 'imminent' training ground claim & 11-week blow
Newcastle United injuries: William Osula has missed the last 17 matches due to an ankle injury.
Newcastle United striker William Osula is closing in on a return to action after 11 weeks on the sidelines.
Osula had initially been playing through an ankle injury before finally succumbing to it and withdrawing from Newcastle’s matchday squad against Athletic Club in early November despite being initially named on the bench.
The 22-year-old hadn’t been seen in full training or matches since, but has remained on Tyneside to work on his rehabilitation.
Providing an update on Osula’s injury and potential return, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe teased that the forward’s return to training was imminent and he could make a matchday squad very soon.
Newcastle United forward closing in on injury return
Speaking on Friday morning ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Howe said: “Will, hopefully, will be training imminently, then we'll have to make a decision on when we include him in the matchday squad.
“He's had a length of time out. He's had to start from zero where he had a period of rest and now we're building him back up.
“But he's very close to hopefully returning to training and then being ready to play.”
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NUFC injury list v Wolves
The positive update on Osula moves him from ruled out to a doubt for Newcastle’s upcoming matches. Dan Burn is also closing in on a return but the upcoming games may come too soon for the defender, who has missed the past month with broken ribs and a punctured lung.
“Dan is running,” Howe added. “His fitness will be okay that won't be an issue, it's just managing the pain of the injury. He looks in good shape, it's just the pain to manage, but hopefully not long.”
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Tino Livramento has been ruled out for an extended period with a hamstring injury while Fabian Schar is facing around three months out following surgery on his ankle.
It leaves Newcastle short of options defensively, particularly with Emil Krafth and Jamaal Lascelles also unavailable.
Elsewhere in the squad, Jacob Murphy is set to be ruled out of Newcastle’s upcoming matches with a hamstring problem.
Newcastle have won each of their last three Premier League matches heading into their trip to bottom-of-the-table Wolves, who have experienced a relative resurgence in recent weeks having gone four games unbeaten in all competitions.