Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has confirmed that winger Kenedy has picked up a knock, putting his participation against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday in doubt.
The Brazilian didn’t feature in the 1-1 draw with Everton in mid-week having picked up a knock in training, and he is now thought of as touch-and-go for Sunday’s game at St James’ Park.
Benitez has provided an update: “He has a problem with his toe,” he told the Chronicle. “He couldn’t put his boots on and he couldn’t train in the last couple of days.”
The Chelsea loanee was replaced by Jacob Murphy on the left hand side against the Toffees, and Benitez also has Christian Atsu as an alternative option.
OPINION
Kenedy has been a mainstay of this Newcastle team this season and Benitez won’t be happy to potentially be without him for a second game in a row. We are coming up to the busiest portion of the campaign and as such more and more players will start to pick up niggling injuries like Kenedy’s toe problem. The Brazilian’s absence isn’t as much of a worry as it would have been even a week ago, though, as Murphy’s performance against Everton on Wednesday suggested that he might finally be finding his feet on Tyneside. The youngster needs game time in order for him to improve and fulfil his potential, so this update might not be the worst thing for Newcastle. Kenedy has been inconsistent at best this term and Murphy does represent a lot of untapped talent so let’s see what he can do if he is chosen to start once again against Wolves.