Newcastle United have been dealt a crushing blow ahead of their clash with Leicester City as Paul Dummett and Federico Fernandez are set to miss the game through injury, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper claim that the defensive duo were both set to start against the Foxes but will now not feature after sustaining hamstring injuries.
The Daily Mail report that aside from Dummett and Fernandez, the Magpies are also concerned about right-back DeAndre Yedlin ahead of Saturday’s game due to an ankle issue but he should pass a fitness test.
It is believed that due to the injuries, Rafa Benitez is set to mix his team around and Javier Manquillo, Ciaran Clark as well as Fabian Schar are vying for a first-team place.
OPINION
The last thing Benitez needed to deal with ahead of Saturday clash is worry about his defensive trio due to injuries. This is a terrible update as far as Dummett and Fernandez are concerned as they have arguably been among their side’s best performers this season. In the case of Dummett, while he hasn’t shined overly bright, he is head and shoulders about his potential replacement Manquillo. The back-up left-back has previously shown in his outings for the Magpies that he is a blunder waiting to happen and that he isn’t cut out for life in the Premier League. However if Benitez doesn’t rely upon Manquillo to fill it for Dummett then that may leave him playing Clark at left-back. The Republic of Ireland international, who usually is deployed as centre-back, played on the left-side of defence against Nottingham Forest this season and submitted one of the worst performances he ever has while wearing a Magpies shirt. So if Dummett is set to miss Saturday’s game then Leicester City should be licking their lips and planning to filter all their attacks down the left-flank. As for Fernandez he has made a fantastic start to life at St James Park since joining from Swansea City in the summer and it’s a shame he won’t feature on Saturday as he makes the Magpies looks more reliable at the back.
