Newcastle head coach Steve Bruce has been boosted by the return to training of six players after having to contend with a selection crisis for Saturday’s FA Cup trip to Rochdale.
Jetro Willems, Paul Dummett, Ciaran Clark and Dwight Gayle were all back in the fold at the club’s Benton training headquarters on Monday, and they were joined on Tuesday by Miguel Almiron and Andy Carroll.
Willems was one of four men, along with Javier Manquillo, Jonjo Shelvey and Fabian Schar, to limp out of the 3-0 New Year’s Day defeat by Leicester, in his case with a groin problem, while Dummett has missed the last four games with a similar injury.
Clark damaged a calf during the 2-1 win over Southampton on December 8 and has not played since, and Gayle pulled out of the squad at the weekend with a tight hamstring.
Almiron came off at the Crown Oil Arena after sustaining a knock, while Carroll missed out with a minor hamstring problem, and all six could now be available for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Wolves.
Skipper Jamaal Lascelles, who fractured his tibia against Bournemouth in November, is also expected back on the training pitch later this week, while Allan Saint-Maximin has stepped up his comeback from a hamstring tear in recent days.
Bruce has repeatedly voiced his concern at the festive schedule, which he is convinced contributed to the club’s lengthy casualty list.
