Newcastle United face a significant injury worry before their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Arsenal on Wednesday night.
During Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Fulham at St James’ Park, midfielder Joelinton had to leave the pitch due to a knee problem. This was later confirmed by head coach Eddie Howe.
“Yeah, he was suffering with a knee injury, which was a shame,” Howe said. He was struggling in that second half.”
Disturbing images have surfaced of Joelinton wearing a knee brace just days before Newcastle’s crucial Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal. The team leads 2-0 from the first leg, set to play at St James’ Park on Wednesday at 8pm.
The photos show Joelinton at the Newcastle training facility, celebrating his son’s eighth birthday with his family, but the sight of his braced knee has raised concerns among fans. While the use of a brace could be precautionary soon after an injury, it’s not a good sign for the 28-year-old’s participation in the upcoming match.
Although Joelinton’s involvement looks doubtful, there’s some positive news for Newcastle as striker Callum Wilson nears a comeback. Out for over eight weeks with a hamstring injury, the 32-year-old is reportedly close to returning, with Howe noting he’s “there or thereabouts” for the game after resuming training.
“Yeah, Callum will be there or thereabouts,” Howe said. “He’s trained, as I said, on Friday a couple of times. He’s looked good.
“Obviously I’ll speak to everyone connected with Callum and his welfare and make sure we involve him at the right time.”
In addition to the doubts over Joelinton and Wilson, Newcastle will certainly be without winger Harvey Barnes who is still around a couple of weeks away from a return after picking up a thigh injury last month.
Jamaal Lascelles is also a long-term absentee as he enters the final stages of his recovery from an ACL injury.
Newcastle holds a comfortable two-goal lead from the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal, thanks to goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon at the Emirates last month. However, recent form at St James’ Park has been poor, with the team losing their last two home games, while Arsenal comes into the match buoyed by a 5-1 victory over Manchester City on Sunday.
Adding to Newcastle’s woes, there are doubts over Joelinton and Wilson’s availability, and they will definitely be without winger Harvey Barnes, who is still a couple of weeks away from recovering from a thigh injury sustained last month.
Defender Jamaal Lascelles is also out, being in the late stages of recovery from an ACL injury.
