Joelinton is set to be rested v Chelsea.placeholder image
Joelinton is set to be rested v Chelsea. | Getty Images
Newcastle United midfielder Joelinton is set to be rested once again for Saturday’s Premier League clash against Chelsea at St James’ Park.
Joelinton suffered a groin injury in Newcastle United’s 2-2 draw at Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League and hasn’t been in action since.
Intriguingly, the Brazilian has continued to be included in Newcastle’s matchday squad as a substitute but hasn’t got on the pitch.
Joelinton was an unused substitute against Sunderland and Fulham and is set to be named on the bench once again despite training through the week.
Newcastle host Chelsea at St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon (12:30pm kick-off) looking to bounce back from last weekend’s dismal derby defeat against Sunderland.
Joelinton watched on from the sidelines as Nick Woltemade’s own goal gifted The Black Cats a narrow win at the Stadium of Light.
Joelinton given extra time to recover
When asked about Joelinton ahead of the Chelsea match, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe explained that he would likely rest the midfielder this weekend and give him a full week to build up to the trip to Manchester United on Boxing Day.
“He's not too bad,” Howe told The Gazette. “He's training.
“I'm taking advice from the medical team, they can say he can be involved. But whether I push him to start a game at the moment, or my intention is probably to let him recover, maybe a few more days and then see when he's ready to start.”
Newcastle United’s injury situation
While Joelinton has made himself available through his injury, there are several players ruled out of the upcoming matches.
Sven Botman, Kieran Trippier, Emil Krafth, Dan Burn and Tino Livramento and William Osula are all out. Nick Pope and Lewis Hall missed the Fulham match but are close to returning to the squad.
Given the concentration of injuries to defensive players, Newcastle are searching for solutions to the crisis at the back. 18-year-old Leo Shahar was drafted into the matchday squad on Wednesday night and could well keep his place alongside Joelinton on the bench on Sunday.
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Under-21s defender Alex Murphy got onto the pitch following an injury to Tino Livramento against Fulham and could start his first competitive match for Newcastle if Hall isn’t passed fit this weekend.
Lewis Miley also slotted in at right-back against Fulham and could start there again when coming up against The Blues.
Joelinton has shown remarkable versatility during his time at Newcastle having played across the front three and midfield three over the years. The 29-year-old has also briefly played at centre-back for Newcastle in friendly matches as well as covering at full-back when needed.
While Howe was quick to deploy 19-year-old Miley into the right-back role, the United head coach scoffed slightly at the suggestion of using Joelinton, as arguably Newcastle’s most physical and defensive midfielder, as an emergency solution to the current injury crisis.
“Possibly, possibly,” Howe grimaced when asked about Joelinton playing defensively. “I wouldn't think that's one of my first looks, but who knows what's going to happen in the next few days, so we'll see.”
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