Newcastle United will be without some key players at Leeds United on Saturday (5:30pm kick-off) but Eddie Howe has confirmed some unexpected boosts.
Newcastle will be without the suspended Anthony Gordon and the unavailable Alexander Isak for the trip to Elland Road.
The Magpies are looking for their first win of the new season having started the campaign with a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa and a last-minute 3-2 defeat to Liverpool.
The Liverpool defeat saw Gordon sent off while Newcastle also lost Sandro Tonali, Joelinton and Fabian Schar to injury during the match.
Tonali was substituted with a shoulder injury while Joelinton went off with a muscle problem in his leg.
Afterwards, Howe claimed that Schar would be unavailable for the trip to Leeds due to a concussion. But after following concussion protocol, the situation has changed.
Newcastle United injury update ahead of Leeds United
When asked about Joelinton and Tonali’s injuries, Howe said: “Relatively good news on both players. I think when they left the pitch, sort of feared they might be out long-term, because it didn't look good for either.
“But Joelinton's scan was relatively good. He will miss this weekend, but there's a chance he could be available the other side of the international break.
“Similar with Sandro, really, I think his injury isn't serious. He's battling to try and be fit for tomorrow. Whether he makes it or not, I'm not sure. But, again, really positive signs, because we did fear that we're going to lose him for longer.”
And in a U-turn update on Schar, Howe said: “No, Fabian is available. We followed Premier League protocols regarding concussion with the doctor, and he should be fit and fine to play.”
The Newcastle boss then confirmed Isak’s situation is unchanged, and the striker remains unavailable. The club also haven’t appealed Gordon’s red card, ruling him out of the trip to Leeds and the following matches against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bradford after the international break.
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Eddie Howe looks ahead to Leeds United trip
Newcastle are set to sign Nick Woltemade from VfB Stuttgart, but the striker is not expected to be available for the trip to Elland Road.
It means The Magpies are heading into the match without an established striker. Howe will have to hand Will Osula his first Premier League start for the club or play Anthony Elanga, Harvey Barnes or Jacob Murphy out of position in a central role.
When asked about starting Osula, Howe said: “Yeah, possibly. I think he's certainly one of the options we're looking at.
“I thought he did really well when he came on. He took his goal superbly. He gave us renewed energy in a moment when the players were feeling the effects of playing without the extra man.
“I think he's improved a lot from this time last year when we first signed him. He's gained experience and certainly the knowledge of how we play and what we ask our centre-force to do isn't easy.
“It's not an easy position to play. But he's gaining in confidence, I think, and that goal will do him the world of good.
“But you've always got options, even if it's perceived you have none. You know, in my head, there's always a solution. There's a system change. There's a personnel change. So we're looking at all options in this moment.”
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