Steve Bruce has bad news on Matt Ritchie at Newcastle United

The winger, sidelined since late August, had been due to return from ankle surgery this month. However, Ritchie has been given some time off by head coach Steve Bruce after “pulling up sore” in training.

“Matt’s still a bit of a concern,” said Bruce. “He’s had a reaction to training. He was going on very nicely. To be honest, we thought he was back 10 days ago, but he pulled up sore in training.”

Defender Fabian Schar (knee) will not be available for tomorrow’s home game against Bournemouth.

Meanwhile, defender Florian Lejeune – who has played two Under-23 games – is edging closer to a comeback from a long-term knee injury. Bruce said: “Lejeune is good. It’s a bit too early for this weekend. We just need to get more minutes into him. He’s champing at the bit.”