Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez has revealed that a tight hamstring was the reason he substituted Dwight Gayle in the draw at Bournemouth on Saturday.
Gayle, who has a documented history of hamstring problems, tapped in two first-half goals to put Newcastle in control at the Vitality Stadium before the hosts staged a dramatic late fightback to nick a point.
That brace took Gayle’s tally to five Premier League goals for the season and the 28-year-old was chasing a hat-trick, and he was withdrawn just two minutes before Adam Smith struck to spark the Bournemouth
But Benitez feels it was absolutely necessary to protect Gayle in the closing stages, especially with new signing Islam Slimani suffering a setback in his recovery from a thigh injury before the match.
“Dwight was complaining about a little bit of tightness in his hamstrings, so we needed to make a substitution,” the Magpies boss explained to the Shields Gazzette.
The situation regarding Slimani’s injury was discussed by Benitez in his post-match interview and he remains confident the Algeria international can still make an impact for Newcastle before the end of the season.
“He (Slimani) will have to compete for his position,” Benitez said. “Hopefully, he will be another body and before the end of the season, he will be another one who can help.”
It’s possible that Slimani will be available for the trip to Wembley to face Tottenham on March 16th, although the fixture is likely to be moved should Spurs beat Rochdale in the FA Cup fifth round replay this week.
