Newcastle United injuries: The latest on Anthony Gordon, Joelinton and Dan Burn after the trio were taken out of the starting line-up against Manchester City.
Eddie Howe admitted he was protecting some of his players during Newcastle United’s 3-1 FA Cup fifth-round defeat to Manchester City on Saturday evening.
Howe made four changes to his side following the 2-1 win over Manchester United in the Premier League with Nick Woltemade, Joe Willock, Sven Botman and William Osula all starting. One change was forced due to Jacob Ramsey’s suspension while Joelinton, Dan Burn and Anthony Gordon also dropped out but were named on the bench.
This season, Newcastle and Howe have lost the luxury of taking team selections one game at a time and have instead had to manage the squad through a busy fixture schedule.
The Gazette has launched a WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone.Simply click this linkto join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
Newcastle United’s long season continues
The Magpies have played 47 games in all competitions so far this season, more than any other side across Europe’s top leagues.
“We're trying to get through the games and perform and to win, but we're also trying to navigate and keep players fit, which is very, very difficult to do,” Howe admitted.
“The combination of the two, I don't think we've got the strength at the moment to make loads of changes and keep the same strength in our performance.”
NUFC duo rested v Man City
Following the Man City defeat, Howe went on to confirm Gordon and Joelinton were both rested from the starting line-up due to their importance looking ahead to future matches in the Champions League and Premier League.
Newcastle host Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash on Tuesday night before travelling to Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday and then to Barcelona for the second leg the following Wednesday.
“We tried to [make changes] with a couple of key players today that we had to protect,” Howe added. “Anthony Gordon has come in with an ankle problem, we had to protect him today.
“We had to protect Joelinton today with past experience. These players are too big to lose.”
Joelinton recently missed a few weeks of football due to a groin injury but returned to action against Qarabag in the Champions League last month.
Howe continued: “Dan Burn [coming out of the starting line-up] was more of a choice to play Sven. Sven's a top-quality player. Other than that, we were near enough at full strength.”
Newcastle were boosted by the return of Tino Livramento as a full-back option after two months out injured. The 23-year-old came off the bench in the closing stages of Saturday’s defeat and is in contention for Tuesday’s Champions League clash.
Continue Reading