Newcastle United 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur - Jordan Cronin reacts
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has provided injury updates on Lewis Hall and Yoane Wissa.
Hall underwent foot surgery in March and spent five months on the sidelines.
The 21-year-old started back-to-back games against AFC Bournemouth and Bradford City last month and after missing the Arsenal game due to fatigue came on as a substitute versus Union Saint-Gilloise.
It was then that Hall suffered a hamstring injury. There were immediate fears that he could be out for a sustained period but a scan confirmed far better news.
Newcastle United issue official Lewis Hall update
The left-back has sat out of the last four games but could return to the matchday squad for the visit to the London Stadium.
Howe said: “Yes, he's very close. He hasn't trained with us yet, so hopefully he'll be training with us today for the first time. We'll see how he looks.
“I think he's worked really hard, he's looked after himself, he looks in really good shape. But then we have to introduce him back into the squad at the right time.
Yoane Wissa latest - ruled out v West Ham United
Newcastle have no fresh injury concerns heading into the West Ham game, though are continuing to monitor Will Osula as he nurses an ankle issue. Meanwhile, Howe has confirmed Yoane Wissa won’t be involved.
Wissa joined Newcastle on September 1 from Brentford for £55million but is yet to make his debut after suffering a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury on international duty with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
After returning to Tyneside, Wissa was given an initial recovery period of around six weeks before that was extended by a further two weeks following a check-up with the specialist.
That pointed to a potential return for Wissa for either the trip to West Ham or next week’s matches against Athletic Bilbao and Brentford, but Howe doesn’t know when he’ll return.
“It's definitely not West Ham,” when asked about Wissa’s return date. “He's working very hard, he's on the grass, he's getting the fitness work in that he needs.
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“I'd say he's not close to training with the group at the moment, not through injury but through fitness and making sure we build his robustness. I'm not trying to be evasive. I don't know when the moment will be when he's back with the squad.”
Nick Woltemade set to start against West Ham
With Wissa and Osula managing an injury, £69million club-record signing Nick Woltemade is set to start a 10th consecutive game. The German scored his sixth goal for the club in Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Howe said: “We're really pleased with Nick, we're really happy with him. I think he's on and off the pitch, he's been first class. The way he's conducted himself, the way he's handled the move, the way he's embraced his teammates, his team ethics are excellent.”
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