Eddie Howe and Callum WilsonEddie Howe and Callum Wilson
Eddie Howe and Callum Wilson | Getty Images
Newcastle United host Everton tomorrow afternoon in what could be an emotional day on Tyneside.
Three points will be enough to secure Newcastle United a place in next season’s Champions League, with any other result leaving their fate in the hands of others. It is set to be a nerve jangling 90 minutes on Tyneside - and could be a particularly emotional afternoon for four players.
With just one season of the game to go, three players may have already played their final game for Newcastle United - with Callum Wilson potentially making his final ever appearance tomorrow. Jamal Lewis, John Ruddy and Mark Gillespie all have just over a month left on their contracts with the club - and none are likely to feature on the final day of the season.
Ruddy hasn’t played a single minute for the club since joining from Birmingham City last summer, whilst Lewis spent the first half of the season on-loan at Brazilian side Sao Paolo before returning to England after suffering injury. The former Norwich City man last featured in a competitive game for the Magpies on the final day of the 2022/23 season at Stamford Bridge, a match that marked just his second Premier League appearance of the season.
Gillespie, meanwhile, hasn’t featured since 2020. Whilst Lewis is expected to leave the club this summer, Ruddy and Gillespie’s futures are not yet guaranteed and both, who play a key role behind the scenes in the goalkeeping department, could have their stay on Tyneside extended, particularly if Odysseas Vlachodimos departs the club this summer.
Callum Wilson’s Newcastle United future
Wilson, meanwhile, is the only one of the four with a realistic chance of featuring against the Toffees and he would love to end a frustrating campaign with his first Premier League goal of the season. The 33-year-old has spent five years in the north east following his move from Bournemouth and whilst his status as a first-team regular has waned in recent seasons, it must not be forgotten just what a key figure he was for the club during his first few years on Tyneside.
It was his goals that kept the club up during Steve Bruce’s tenure and Eddie Howe’s first few months at the club. He then netted an impressive 18 goals in 31 games during the 2022/23 campaign as the Magpies qualified for the Champions League.
Speaking about the striker earlier this month, Howe said: “He's very much in my plans going forward.
“We have four games to go and he's a huge part of that. I think he's looked better and better in recent weeks.
“You have to understand Callum probably has been going through a pre-season sort of in the short window, as in on the pitch, which is very difficult to do. But he needed the training and the game exposure to get back to his very best form. I think he's getting there now.”
Injury issues have plagued Wilson this season and the form of Alexander Isak means that even if he is able to put those fitness concerns behind him, a move away from St James’ Park may be his only route to regular first-team football again.
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