Newcastle United lost two key defenders before the interval in their loss to Tottenham Hotspur to kick off the Premier League campaign.
Indeed, both Paul Dummett and Florian Lejeune were forced off in the first-half as a result of injuries and Rafa Benitez replaced them with one-time central defensive partnership, Jamaal Lascelles and Chancel Mbemba.
Dummett appeared to pull up with what looked like a hamstring problem within the first 10 minutes, before a Harry Kane challenge put an end to Lejeune’s Premier League debut on Tyneside.
Now, Benitez has apparently confirmed (as reported by Chronicle journalist Mark Douglas) that Dummet will be ruled out for ‘a couple of weeks’, while it’s ‘too early’ to tell on Lejeune right now.
Rafa confirms Dummett out for a couple of weeks. Lejeune 'too early' to tell. #nufc
— Mark Douglas (@MsiDouglas) August 13, 2017
With Benitez’s options in the squad depleted already, it’s bad news for the Spaniard. Though Lascelles and Mbemba proved impressive upon their introductions, the situation at left-back could be an issue already.
Neither Massadio Haidara or Achraf Lazaar seem fancied and though Ciaran Clark can be deployed in the role, surely isn’t a feasible option in the long-term.
Thoughts?
