OPINION
Newcastle United will be sweating over potentially losing Florian Lejeune to injury as if he is ruled out for a significant amount of time then cash will be needed to be spent on replacing him.
The Chronicle reported on Wednesday morning that the 27-year-old centre-back had suffered a knee injury and that’s why he played no part of the 2-2 draw with Hull City.
The newspaper then worryingly quoted Rafa Benitez as describing the injury scare as a potentially serious problem with the manager stating that the club would assess him in the next couple of days.
“Some of them have little problems, and Kenedy’s wife has had a baby so he has had some time off,” said Benitez, as quoted by the newspaper.
“The only one that is a bit more serious could be Lejeune.
“He has a knee problem that we have to assess in the next couple of days.”
Lejeune is a key member of the Magpies squad and Benitez’s side will struggle to cope without him as he was a rock at the back in his outings last season.
The 27-year-old formed a formidable partnership with fellow centre-back Jamaal Lascelles and excelled in the 24 appearances he made for the club last season.
While Lascelles is a fantastic defender in his own right and can work with other defenders in the heart of the Magpies defence, he seems to have a better understanding with Lejeune compared to the other options Benitez has to choose from.
The Magpies’ ability to be solid at the back last season, which Lejeune played a huge role in, was a key reason why they secured a top-10 finish in the Premier League.
Benitez’s side only managed 39 goals in 38 leagues games so their ability to keep clean sheets saw them able to pick up valuable points even when they couldn’t get on the scoresheet themselves.
While the Magpies are thought to be closing in on a £3.5million deal for Deportivo La Coruna defender Fabian Schar as he has a medical scheduled with the club, as reported by the Daily Mirror, if they lost Lejeune they would need to splash the cash to replace him.
They would need a cash fix for Lejeune if they lose him to injury not just because of his first-team status but due to the fact they sold Chancel Mbemba earlier this week.
The 23-year-old joined FC Porto, as club’s official website on Monday and while Schar’s potential arrival would cover for his loss if Lejeune was set to miss significant game time then Benitez would still be a centre-back short ahead of the new season.
Therefore the Magpies are no doubt sweating over the reported injury to Lejeune as a transfer fix would be needed to cover his loss if he ends up being ruled out for a significant amount of time.
