Four Newcastle United players could miss the upcoming clash against Manchester United on Saturday, according to reliable journalist Lee Ryder.
The Newcastle Chronicle’s chief writer claimed via his personal Twitter account that the duo of Paul Dummett and Federico Fernandez could be absent from the trip to Old Trafford, while Jamie Sterry and Salomon Rondon are certain to be absent.
Paul Dummett and Federico Fernandez face late tests. Jamie Sterry unavailable. Rondon our. #nufc
— Lee Ryder (@lee_ryder) October 5, 2018
He has revealed that key first team duo Dummett and Fernandez are facing late tests which will determine whether they can feature, while Sterry is unavailable and Rondon is still on the sidelines.
OPINION
The fact that Dummett and Fernandez could potentially miss the clash against Manchester United will no doubt be a very worrying prospect for Rafa Benitez. In Florian Lejeune’s prolonged absence, Fernandez has stepped up to the role of centre-back incredibly well since arriving in the summer, while Dummett has also proved pivotal. Fans will have their fingers crossed that this duo pass their late tests, as the last thing they would want is for them to miss such an important match. They will need their team at full strength if they want to get a positive result against the Red Devils, but that is now looking increasingly unlikely with every minute that passes. Rondon will no doubt be a huge loss to Benitez, who has had to resort to using Joselu up front – a decision that has not really proved dividends. Benitez’ luck does not seem to be changing any time soon, but these potential absences are ones he must cope with.