Newcastle United centre back Florian Lejeune is set to return to action for the team’s Under-23s on Monday night.
The club confirmed the news on its official website on Monday, stating that the Frenchman will make a significant step in his recovery against Middlesbrough’s second-string.
The 28-year-old has been out of action since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Crystal Palace in April, and hasn’t been seen in the 2019/20 season.
He has had surgery and spent time rehabilitating in Rome, and is now set to face off with the Magpies’ north east rivals in Premier League 2 competition.
OPINION
This is a massive boost for Newcastle, and is testament to the incredible mental fortitude of Lejeune. The former Eibar man has suffered two major injuries since the summer of 2018, but yet is set to return for the Magpies just six months after tearing his ACL. It’s really been tremendous to witness the resilience of the Magpies defender. To be fair to Newcastle, they are actually pretty well stocked at centre half. Head coach Steve Bruce has Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles, Ciaran Clark, Paul Dummett and Federico Fernandez at the position. However, it was no coincidence that Newcastle’s form picked up last season once Lejeune returned from injury and joined Schar and Lascelles in the back three. That was clearly the team’s best central defensive trio last time out, and we’ve seen little this term to suggest that might have changed. Still, that’s for another day. For now, huge credit must go to Lejeune for another fantastic recovery from a major injury.
