Eddie Howe’s injury/illness doubts for Friday night’s clash at St. James’ Park will be pushed to play and should be included in the squad.
That is according to Keith Downie who was speaking to This Is Futbol amid the speculation surrounding the fitness of Joe Willock ahead of the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Would you risk playing Willock against Wolves?
Yes
No
It is believed Willock could be set to miss the game against Bruno Lage’s side as a result of a knee issue, however, is set to undergo tests ahead of the game.
Willock played the full 90 minutes of the game on the weekend against Tottenham Hotspur but the reported issue could see Bruno Guimaraes start on Tyneside.
And with Howe claiming his side have been hit by some illness issue, Downie still believes the players affected will be pushed till the last moment to play against Wolves:
“Yes, he might have a couple of illness doubts. We don’t know who those players are at the moment,” said the Sky Sports man.
“I got the feeling the way he spoke that they should be okay. And they’ll you know, they’ll try and push them to play if they can.”
TIF Thoughts on Downie’s comments…
The game against Spurs on the weekend was not Willock’s finest display and with Howe’s men struggling, in general, a change could be welcomed by the fans.
Whether Willock is able to pass his late fitness tests or not, it should be encouraging to know it does not seem to be a long-term issue with him still in contention to play.
However, with the likes of Bruno Guimaraes at Howe’s disposal, should Willock be allowed the opportunity to ensure he does not aggravate the reported issue?
In other news: ‘You speak to any player’ – Keith Downie reveals 25 y/o being raved about behind-scenes at NUFC