Eddie Howe makes Joe Willock injury prediction after seeing Newcastle United star stretchered off

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Newcastle United lost to Team K League on Wednesday, while they also lost Joe Willock to injury.

It was another gruelling pre-season friendly for Newcastle United, who have lost all three of their games so far.

Having lost to Celtic and Arsenal, Newcastle were beaten by Team K League in South Korea. It was a really disappointing performance from Eddie Howe’s side, who also suffered an injury scare.

Joe Willock was stretchered off in stoppage time. He went down in agony after a challenge, immediately indicating that he needed treatment from the physios.

• Who is Joe Willock? All you need to know about the Newcastle United midfielder

Eddie Howe hopes Joe Willock has not suffered a major injury

Given his reaction and the fact he was stretchered off, there was immediate fear that Willock had suffered a serious injury.

However, Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe is hopeful that is not the case.

“I don’t have a major update yet but it didn’t look great on the pitch,” he said, as reported by the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope on X.

“But at this moment, it doesn’t look like a major, major injury. And fingers crossed it’s not, because Joe has suffered enough.

“Hopefully he’s OK.”

Joe Willock injury scare re-emphasises Newcastle United’s transfer need

Even if Willock has avoided a serious injury, this scare is a reminder of what Newcastle United must do before the transfer window closes.

With Sean Longstaff joining Leeds, the Magpies are already short of a midfielder from last season. That needs to change, as emphasised by Willock’s fresh fitness concern.

If he is set for a spell on the sidelines, it will leave Lewis Miley as the only midfield backup at Howe’s disposal. If Miley was unavailable, he would then have to turn to youth prospects like Travis Hernes or Alfie Harrison.

That is why it is vital that Newcastle United buy a midfielder. They need depth ahead of their Champions League return, especially as Joelinton is another player who has struggled to stay injury-free.

With one month to go before the transfer window closes, the Magpies have so much work to do. They need to resolve Alexander Isak’s situation and potentially sign two strikers, as well as bring in a centre-back.

Centre-midfield also needs to be a priority.