£84m Newcastle United trio missing from official training ground update ahead of Man City clash

Newcastle United head to the Etihad Stadium knowing that a win would see them end the weekend above the Citizens. However, history is not on their side having never won a Premier League match at the stadium since its opening in 2003.

Back-to-back cup wins against Arsenal and Birmingham City stand the Magpies in good stead ahead of their clash against Pep Guardiola’s side, however, Howe will have a couple of injury issues to deal with ahead of Saturday’s game. Jamaal Lascelles will certainly miss out as he recovers from an ACL injury whilst Harvey Barnes is set to spend a little longer on the sidelines after injuring his thigh against Bromley last month.

Those two, added to fresh concerns over the fitness of Joelinton, Sven Botman and most recently Dan Burn, mean Howe does face a headache or two this weekend. Anthony Gordon, meanwhile, is set to face the Citizens, despite missing Saturday’s FA Cup win with a minor thigh injury.

Gordon was pictured in training on Wednesday as Newcastle United posted a gallery of training photos to their website. However, none of the aforementioned trio were pictured in that gallery, putting their participation in Saturday’s game at risk.

Joelinton - knee injury

The Brazilian injured his knee during their last Premier League outing against Fulham at the beginning of February. Joelinton watched from the stands as his teammates booked their place in the final of the Carabao Cup with victory over Arsenal, with Howe then admitting that the combative midfielder is expected to be out for a number of weeks.

“I think he'll be out for weeks, not months.” Howe revealed last week. “I don't think it's a serious injury, but it will be enough to make him miss the next few league games, I think.”

Dan Burn - groin injury

Burn started Saturday’s match, but was substituted early into the second-half with a groin injury. As one of just two players to start against both Arsenal and Birmingham City, seeing the defender limp off was a major blow and one that Howe described as a ‘big concern’.

An update on Burn’s injury on Wednesday revealed that he had avoided significant damage and that whilst he is a doubt for Saturday’s clash with the reigning champions, he could be back in action before too long.

Sven Botman - knee injury

Seeing Botman withdrawn against Arsenal with a knee injury sparked great fear within the fan base that the Dutchman had suffered a setback in his recovery from an ACL injury. Botman’s last appearance of last season came in their FA Cup defeat at the Etihad Stadium before injury ruled him out of the rest of 2024.

However, much like Burn, it appears that Botman has avoided any serious injury and that he could be in contention to start if not this weekend, then against Nottingham Forest on Sunday 23 February at St James’ Park.

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