Newcastle United injury update ahead of Chelsea
Newcastle United injuries: Jamaal Lascelles has been ruled out from featuring by Eddie Howe amid an ongoing defensive crisis.
Newcastle United club captain Jamaal Lascelles is set to remain on the sidelines over the festive period after suffering a muscle injury in training.
The Magpies are currently short of bodies in defence with Sven Botman, Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier, Emil Krafth and Tino Livramento also ruled out. In addition, Lewis Hall is nursing a hamstring issue that kept him out of the 2-1 win over Fulham on Wednesday night.
With Malick Thiaw and Fabian Schar Newcastle’s only two fit and available senior centre-backs as things stand, Lascelles - who was previously fifth choice centre-back - had the opportunity to move up the pecking order.
Jamaal Lascelles’ NUFC injury troubles continue
The 32-year-old hasn’t started a competitive match for Newcastle since suffering an ACL injury in March 2024 but has featured twice off the bench this season. After being named on the bench against Brentford last month, the centre-back hasn’t made a matchday squad since.
Earlier this week, head coach Eddie Howe claimed Lascelles was ‘fit and training’.
In his pre-match press conference ahead of Fulham, Howe said: “Jamaal Lascelles is returning from a muscle problem. He's fit and training with the group."
But when asked if the defender would be in contention to be included in the squad for the Chelsea match on Saturday a few days later (12:30pm kick-off), The Magpies boss backtracked slightly as he said: “Jamaal is not feeling great in his body at the moment so I don't think that is an option for us."
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Newcastle United injury latest
Newcastle’s defensive injury crisis is on course to clear up next month provided there are no further setbacks.
Livramento was forced off against Fulham with a fresh knee injury. The full-back previously missed two months earlier this season with a knee injury and was ruled out for over a year during his time at Southampton after suffering an ACL injury to the same knee.
Providing an update on Livramento, Howe said: “I don't think it's a serious injury. The complication we have is, I think, Tino has injured that knee before in a very similar area, so that always makes the potential recovery time a little bit longer.
“So I don't think we'll see him possibly before 2026. It's like any player, when you suffer an injury to the same area twice, that always adds a layer of complication to it.
“I think it's a minor injury, but it'll keep him out probably a few weeks.”
NUFC hoping for injury boost
Howe is hopeful of having Hall back available to face Chelsea on Saturday while goalkeeper Nick Pope is close to a return. Trippier and Krafth are also on course to return around the turn of the year having missed over a month with respective hamstring and knee injuries.
“He could be [involved v Chelsea],” Howe said on Hall. “He felt some fatigue in his hamstring after the Sunderland game.
“It wasn't evident in the game, it was more the couple of days afterwards. So he had a scan, the scan didn't reveal too much.”
When asked if anyone else could be back this weekend, Howe added: “No, I don't think so.”
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