Eddie Howe has been left sweating over the fitness of Kieran Trippier ahead of Newcastle’s clash against West Ham at St. James’ Park this weekend
Kieran Trippier has missed Newcastle's last two matches(Image credit: Getty Images)
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe may have Kieran Trippier back in contention for the side's Premier League home clash against West Ham on Saturday.
Trippier was initially ruled out for two matches after a calf injury and he missed the losses to Chelsea and Man City. He has not been seen training with the club this week, either, reports the Newcastle Chronicle.
Howe stated that Trippier would be due back at the end of March and that fellow wing-back Tino Livramento could also feature.
Eddie Howe has had to contend with a huge number of Newcastle injuries throughout the season (Image credit: Getty Images)
The Newcastle coach after the defeat to Manchester City: "We hope it’s not too bad, we hope he can be back for the next game. I think he twisted his ankle against Chelsea. He was on the end of a few rough challenges that night. He came in the next day and it was quite swollen."
Livramento had suffered an ankle injury and also missed the 2-0 FA Cup defeat against Pep Guardiola's side, with the injury list continuing to grow for the Magpies.
Meanwhile, Sven Botman and Lewis Miley will be sidelined due to injuries sustained during the international break. The Dutchman faces a huge absence of six to nine months due to an ACL injury. Miley injured his back playing for England Under-20s.
Sven Botman is set to miss the rest of the season (Image credit: Getty Images)
Martin Dubravka will be available even though he withdrew from the Slovakia squad early due to personal reasons. Harvey Barnes is another player who the club are sweating on, but he could feature against the Hammers at St James’ Park tomorrow.
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Howe said at a press conference on Friday that Botman will be sorely missed. "A big blow. It’s a complex story with Sven, initially he had a partial tear [earlier on this season], we saw specialist opinion and there was conflicting reports on what he should do next.
“Ultimately, medical team advised him to get surgery, but he wanted to carry on. He has then aggravated that issue. He now has a long road ahead of him, the operation went well. We hope he comes back in a better place. Now we support him and help him back."
Jacque Talbot is a freelance football journalist who predominantly specialises in transfer stories and exclusives. He began his career in 2016 covering the world-renowned Sandbach United, of North West Counties fame, before earning a spot on the sports desks of national papers, where he bounced between several outlets such as Sportbible, the Express, Mirror, and Daily Star. An NCTJ graduate of the News Associates who swapped investigative journalism in the Costa del Sol for football reporting in Northern England, he first wrote for FourFourTwo in December 2023.
