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- 1 point needed from 2 games for Champions League place
- Joelinton, Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff, Jacob Murphy struggling
NEWCASTLE: Eddie Howe is hoping ‘machine’ Joelinton is fit to face Leicester City with his Champions League-chasing Magpies suffering an end-of-season injury crisis.
Newcastle United may be without Joe Willock, injured in the win over Brighton last Thursday, for the final two games of the campaign — and news is no better on Sean Longstaff and Jacob Murphy, with the key duo having yet to return to training at the club’s Benton base.
But with only one point needed to secure Champions League qualification, following Aston Villa’s point at fifth-placed Liverpool, Newcastle boss Howe is hoping he will be able to patch up talisman Joelinton for the Monday night visit of the 19th-placed Foxes.
“We’ll want the same again, I’ve got no doubt the crowd will be there for us. We really have to take the good feeling from Brighton and the confidence that game should give us but then forget it and focus purely on a totally different game,” said Howe.
“Tactically, it will be totally different, but we have to be ready for a tough match.
“We’ve got a few concerns. The lads gave so much to the game against Brighton, and they’ve given a lot to the season. I just hope there is nothing serious.
“It looks like Joe Willock may be in trouble with his hamstring injury, we might lose him for the season but that’s unclear as I sit here now. Fingers crossed our team will still be strong.”
Joelinton limped out of the St. James’ Park clash, but no matter what happens in games, the big Brazilian always seems to patch himself up ready to play the next.
Howe hopes his midfield ‘machine’ will come to the rescue again.
“He’d literally — it’s a well-used phrase in football — run through a brick wall for the team, the club and I think he does every game.
“He succumbed to that brick wall against Brighton, it seemed to hurt him, but we hope he’s okay. He’s just been incredible for us this year.”
On Longstaff, who has been unavailable since the midweek win at Everton at the end of April, and Murphy, who has missed the last two games, Howe has revealed it remains to be seen whether either will strengthen the Magpies’ hand.
“At this moment, being honest, he’s doubtful,” Howe said on Longstaff. “He hasn’t trained. He’s improving but we’ll wait and see. Again, Jacob hasn’t trained so we’ll wait and see.”
Attention now turns to who may replace Willock in the side. And Howe has made it clear he has every faith, if selected, young Geordie Elliot Anderson will make up for lost time against both the Foxes and on the final day at Chelsea.
He said: “When you look back to the start of the season, I’d say he himself would consider himself a first-team player now as in a fully integrated member of the first-team’s squad.
“He’s trained consistently throughout the season. It’s very difficult for those lads that haven’t played regularly when the team wins consistently and has performed as well as it has to wait for their chance.
“Now, he’s a young player that has been desperate to play, he’s controlled his emotions really well, I do believe he’s added elements to his game and improved certain parts of his game that needed to improve. I’d say he’s ready.
“He’s versatile — he proved that against Brighton, he came on the right side of midfield. He’s predominantly been used by me as a left-side player and he’s very much capable, so we believe in him.”