Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has confirmed that another player has joined the injury list on Tyneside, with Jacob Murphy becoming the latest casualty.
The Magpies became one of the eight Premier League clubs to reach the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup with a comfortable victory over Chelsea at St James’ Park last night.
After a disappointing defeat at Stamford Bridge against the West Londoners last weekend, Newcastle had a point to prove when Enzo Maresca’s side visited the North East.
Eddie Howe would have had many things to be pleased about following the progression in the domestic cup competition, from the resilient performance to Anthony Gordon’s return to action after a concerning injury scare.
Injuries have played a huge part in Newcastle’s struggles over the last 18 months, and financial restrictions have hindered their ability to bolster crucial areas of the squad.
Sven Botman remains unavailable for selection following his ACL surgery in April, which has left the defensive line without arguably it’s best player for months now, while Callum Wilson continues to struggle with setback after setback in his efforts to return to action, putting immense pressure on Alexander Isak to stay fit to play in all competitions.
One of the biggest areas of concern reported to be a top priority to address in the January transfer window is the right winger role with Jacob Murphy and Miguel Almiron struggling to make a consistent impact in the position.
Now Howe will suffer more frustration in his attempts to improve the attacking prowess, as winger Jacob Murphy has suffered a hamstring injury and it is unknown whether he will be available for selection in the upcoming Premier League clash with Arsenal at home this weekend.
Speaking in his post-match press conference following their win against Chelsea, the 46-year-old manager delivered the bad news:
“Jacob was missing because of a slight hamstring. He couldn’t play tonight, but we don’t think it’s anything serious.”
Will Jacob Murphy feature against Arsenal?
While it won’t be ideal to have Murphy unavailable for selection at the weekend, considering his January transfer plans it would seem that Howe is not confident that the right flank would have a huge direct impact on the game anyway.
Neither Almiron nor Murphy have delivered a single Premier League goal this season, though the latter has delivered the most assists (2) in the entire squad over nine league appearances.
Indeed, Howe may be tempted to start Almiron against the Gunners to ensure Gordon can remain on the left, however, an emphatic performance from Joelinton last night could sway his thought process into leaving the Brazilian on the left and putting the ex-Everton star on the right to cover Murphy’s absence.
Either way, it will be an extremely challenging clash for the Geordies this weekend and despite their most recent form in the top flight, there will be a belief that Newcastle should have a chance of taking something from the game in front of the St James’ Park faithful on Saturday.