Newcastle United have been dealt another injury blow, losing Allan Saint-Maximin on top of Kieran Trippier in the last week or so.
Trippier was forced off against Aston Villa and has fractured his foot, with tricky winger Saint-Maximin also missing now. Two more players out adds to the worries at St James’ Park as Premier League survival is far from a certainty.
The extent of the injury is unknown at the moment, but it is reported he’ll be out for a few weeks. Worrying signs for Newcastle who have won just 12% of games without Saint-Maximin since the start of the 2019/20 season. Heading into the West Ham game yesterday, it was three wins, eight draws and 14 losses.
Will PIF bring silverware to Newcastle?Yes!
No!
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Chances for Jacob Murphy and Chris Wood?
Jacob Murphy was handed a start in the clash with West Ham United on Saturday afternoon, joining the front three with Chris Wood and Ryan Fraser. It provides the forward with a chance to force his way into Eddie Howe’s plans.
Miguel Almiron and Dwight Gayle will also be hoping to take advantage of extra minutes in the Frenchman’s absence, but it offers Wood a glorious chance.
He only has three goals to his name this season and is yet to get on the scoresheet for his new club after his move from basement boys Burnley prior to the West Ham game.
Wood is yet to register an assist for the Magpies and hasn’t made one all season in fact. He has to prove his worth and show why Newcastle paid what they did for him and produce the numbers with second top scorer Saint-Maximin sidelined with top scorer Callum Wilson.
Murphy meanwhile has been rarely-seen in recent weeks, playing just 24 minutes of Premier League football in the past seven games. With PIF no doubt set to embark on a summer transfer revolution, this could well be his one final chance to prove his worth.
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Survival chances damaged?
Eddie Howe has guided the Magpies to three wins in a row in the Premier League, helping them pull away from the bottom three.
They’re now 17th but have a four point cushion to the drop zone. Trippier had bagged two in two and now the second top scorer has joined the top scorer in the treatment room, so that’s three key players missing for Howe.
A four point swing could change very quickly, with the possibility for the Magpies that they can fall back into the bottom three before any key players return. It is a real test of Howe’s side coming up in a tough period following the recent highs they’ve had, but the Newcastle boss will no doubt be worried by Saint-Maximin’s absence.
In other news, Sky Sports pundit on Dan Burn