Latest Newcastle injury news, expected return dates, suspensions

Newcastle United have been hit with an injury crisis, which has significantly affected recent results. The Tynesiders have won just two of their last four results, falling to a 2-0 defeat away to Borussia Dortmund and Bournemouth.

However, the Toon were able to thoroughly outclass Chelsea last weekend and come away with a valuable point – that should have been three – from their crunch clash with Paris Saint-Germain. Unfortunately for Eddie Howe, things don’t get any easier in the immediate future as they will likely be without 11 players for their game against Manchester United this Saturday.

With that in mind, Football FanCast is here to keep you updated with the latest injury and suspension news coming out of St James’ Park.

Latest Newcastle United injury news

Threadbare bench against Paris Saint-Germain set to return against Manchester United

Newcastle United currently have at least 11 injury concerns ahead of their home tie against Manchester United.

Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock are still suffering from the injuries they picked up over the international break and, therefore, won’t be fit enough to make the squad for Saturday’s game.

Willock is suffering from a recurrence of an Achilles injury he sustained a few weeks back. “We don’t know how long he’s going to be out, we’re going to have to seek specialist advice, but it’s a huge blow for us,” Howe said.

The sheer number of unavailable senior players could once again force Howe into placing several Under-21 players on his bench – like he did against Chelsea.

Elsewhere, Sandro Tonali has received a ten-month ban for breaching betting rules and won’t be able to play a competitive match until August 2024.

Harvey Barnes will likely be out of action until late December at the earliest after sustaining a foot injury. At the same time, Dutch centre-back Sven Botman could remain on the sidelines as Howe has yet to give the fans a timeline on a potential return.

Jacob Murphy is also set to miss at least a few months after injuring his shoulder against Arsenal, and Elliot Anderson is expected to be unavailable until the end of December.

Speaking on the BBC Sounds’ Footballer’s Football Podcast, Callum Wilson refused to be too specific about his recovery and a return date but appeared to hint that it would be sooner rather than later. He said: “Obviously I’ve been working hard, progressing well and I shall be back soon. I can’t give you an exact timeline on that.”

Joe Willock

Recurring Achilles injury

Joe Willock missed 12 games at the beginning of the season after suffering a hamstring injury at the end of last campaign before injuring his Achilles in the middle of his recovery from that injury.

He made his long-awaited comeback against Borussia Dortmund last month. However, he has reportedly re-aggravated that Achilles injury in training and is now set to see a specialist after missing the last Premier League game against Chelsea.

The Englishman missed the PSG trip, and given the intentions of having him treated properly, he is likely to remain out of contention long-term.

Sean Longstaff

Ankle/foot injury

The Newcastle academy product sustained a knock in his side’s 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth prior to the international break and hasn’t featured since.

Unfortunately for fans, in his pre-Manchester United press conference, Howe revealed that the club do not know when Longstaff will make a return, or Joe Willock for that matter: “We hope both aren’t long-term injuries. Hopefully we can get them back.

“But even two or three weeks at this stage feels like a lifetime. Hard to give you a definitive time on both players.”

While the uncertainty isn’t great for fans, the fact that it doesn’t sound too severe is good.

Callum Wilson

Hamstring

Callum Wilson’s hamstring injury is worse than initially feared and he may not return until the end of December after Howe confirmed he faces a ‘number of weeks out’.

The 31-year-old reluctantly withdrew from the England squad and provided an update on his condition: “Unfortunately, a recent setback has meant I had to withdraw from the squad that I’d worked so hard to be a part of.

“Strong walls shake but never collapse, so for sure I’ll be back soon. Good luck to the lads in the upcoming fixtures.”

Speaking on the BBC Sounds’ Footballer’s Football Podcast, Wilson refused to be too specific about his recovery and a return date but appeared to hint that it would be sooner rather than later. He said: “Obviously I’ve been working hard, progressing well and I shall be back soon. I can’t give you an exact timeline on that.”

Dan Burn

Back

Dan Burn was forced off at half-time in the team’s game against Arsenal last month. The defender fell onto his back awkwardly after challenging for the ball, and his discomfort was plain to see.

Howe delivered a concerning update speaking ahead of the Borussia Dortmund clash: “Dan Burn will be out for some time I think. Long-term problem, a couple of months is a speculative number. He landed on his spine. A huge blow.

“His character and determination to win. We’re losing his ability to play centre-back as well.”

Jacob Murphy

Shoulder

Jacob Murphy injured his shoulder against Borussia Dortmund on 25th October. After missing the following two games, he made a surprise return against Arsenal on November 4th.

However, just 16 minutes after coming on as a substitute, he was once again forced off after injuring the same shoulder for the second time in under three weeks.

Howe spoke on his player’s situation after the game and delivered the news that fans were dreading: “With Jacob, we always knew there was a chance that he could do his shoulder again, but he was prepared to take the risk.

“Unfortunately, we lost him during the game, and we will lose him now to an operation.

“It’s obviously a huge blow. Off the top of my head, I’m not completely sure how long he will be out for, but it’ll probably be around three months, I would think.”

Matt Targett

Hamstring

The Magpies left-back picked up a hamstring injury just two minutes into the Toon’s EFL Cup clash against Manchester United, and could barely walk as he trudged off the pitch.

Eddie Howe provided an update on the full-back’s situation on November 6th: “He’s seeing a specialist tonight but it won’t be a short-term fix. He will probably be out around three months.

“That’s a rough estimate.”

Javier Manquillo

Groin

There’s currently very little information on the Spaniard’s condition and his return date at this stage is unknown. Howe last month claimed on Manquillo’s injury: “He’s got a groin problem.”

The Spaniard has only made the matchday squad on two occasions this season so far, appearing as an unused substitute against Manchester City in the EFL Cup and the Magpies’ clash with West Ham United last month.

He last featured for the club last season in May as a late substitute against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Elliot Anderson

Back

Elliot Anderson looks set to be out until after Christmas due to a back injury.

Howe provided an update on Anderson’s condition at the end of October: “The day after the Palace game he just woke up with a sore back. It didn’t really go away, so we’ve had scans and tests, and it looks like it’s going to be eight weeks.

“Elliot’s hugely frustrated, and we’re hugely frustrated too because it was a big moment for him in his career. This was sort of his breakthrough season, in a sense, to try to get more starts, and he was doing that. He was well on his way to establishing himself as a really important first-team player.”

Sven Botman

Knee

Sven Botman’s last game in a Newcastle shirt came back on 25th September, when he scored one of the eight goals the team put past Sheffield United, but has since been sidelined due to a knee injury he picked up in training.

Howe gave an update on the defender’s condition in his pre-Manchester United press conference: “He’s not training with us at the moment. He’s building up slowly so we don’t hit the knee too much.

“He’s reacted well to the work he’s doing. We hope that continues.”

While his continued absence is certainly less than ideal, the fact that he is reacting well to his work suggests that he is on the right track.

Harvey Barnes

Foot

Harvey Barnes was forced off the pitch just 12 minutes into Newcastle’s demolition of Sheffield United in September with a foot injury. While it’s not broken, he’s not expected to return this calendar year.

This assessment looks to have been accurate as Eddie Howe gave a succinct but disheartening update ahead of the game with Manchester United on the status of the former Leicester City winger: “He hasn’t trained with us yet.”

If Barnes hasn’t even returned to team training yet, we can’t see how he’ll be able to make an appearance until January at the earliest.

Latest Newcastle United suspension news

Fabian Schar and Sean Longstaff must tread carefully in league

Tonali is the only Magpies player currently serving a long-term suspension.

However, the league’s rules state that any player who receives five yellow cards within the first 19 games of the season will be suspended for the match following the game in which they picked up their fifth yellow.

Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes have already crossed that threshold and served a band, while Kieran Trippier and Sean Longstaff are both on four booking and mut tread carefully.

Sandro Tonali

Suspended – illegal betting

The Italy international will be sidelined from competitive action until next August after breaching betting rules.

A Newcastle statement read: “Sandro Tonali has been banned from competitive football for ten months, as effective from Friday, 27th October 2023, following illegal betting charges by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

“FIGC’s sanction includes an overall 18-month ban, with eight months commuted as the player participates in a therapeutic plan and educational programme in Italy consisting of 16 commitments.

“On the evening of Friday, 27th October, Newcastle United received confirmation that FIFA has endorsed FIGC’s sanction to be applied worldwide, meaning Sandro will be eligible to return to competitive football from Tuesday, 27th August 2024.”