Eddie Howe now confirms that 27-year-old Newcastle man is ‘not far away’ from injury return

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Ahead of Newcastle United’s Boxing Day fixture against Nottingham Forest, Eddie Howe has confirmed that one player is close to making his return from injury.

Joelinton has missed the last two games against Luton and Chelsea having pulled up with an issue against Fulham last weekend and being subbed off in the first half for Lewis Miley.

Howe has now spoken to Newcastle World claiming that the midfielder is nearing a return and could be fit enough to face Forest in two day’s time.

Howe says Joelinton is close to full fitness ahead of Forest game

After a tough defeat to Luton at the weekend, Newcastle will want to bounce back quickly to ease the pressure that is currently building on Eddie Howe and his players.

In the 1-0 loss, Newcastle were beaten physically, something that they were so good at last season, and really missed the strength of the Brazilian in midfield.

Having Joelinton available, even just if he’s coming off the bench, would be a huge boost to Howe and Newcastle’s hopes of beating Forest who will also be desperate to get a result after losing to Bournemouth in added time.

While Howe has not confirmed that the 27-year-old will definitely be ready, he is remaining hopeful that the £40m player will be able to have an impact on Tuesday afternoon.

Howe said: “I’m not 100 per-cent sure, he is not far away. We want to get the right decision.”

Newcastle need some good luck with injuries

Heading into the new year, Howe will be hoping that Newcastle’s luck with injuries will be turning around, starting with Joelinton’s possible return to the team against Forest.

There are a number of players who are looking at getting back to training in January with Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy, and Joe Willock some key names who have been missing for a while now.

The issue, of course, is keeping everyone else fit until their return, which is proving very difficult at the moment with captain Jamaal Lascelles the latest casualty.

But despite the injury crisis and recent poor results, the fact remains that Newcastle are again fighting for a European spot and have a bright future ahead of them going into 2024.