Newcastle United defender Matt Targett has confirmed that he has undergone surgery after suffering an injury in the Carabao Cup win over Manchester United.
Targett was named in Eddie Howe’s starting lineup for the game at Old Trafford, but was immediately forced off with a hamstring problem. He went to ground after jumping in the air for a header, and was in no state to carry on.
The left-back was in a huge amount of pain after the incident, struggling to walk following what was a bizarre injury so early in the game.
Targett is now set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, which is true of a lot of Newcastle players right now. The Magpies are also without Dan Burn, while there is still no indication of when Sven Botman will be back in action.
For Targett, the road to recovery starts now, and he has delivered a message to supporters after going under the knife on Tuesday.
Matt Targett updates Newcastle fans after undergoing surgery
The 28-year-old has shared a picture on his official Instagram account of him in his hospital bed after undergoing surgery.
Alongside the picture, he wrote: “Still finding it hard to get my head around the injury… felt so good going into the United game!! Completely bizarre injury to happen in a couple minutes of the game! Surgery went well yesterday so I’m on the mend. Determined to come back better then ever.”
Targett has been showered with support following the injury, with various players sending him good luck messages on Instagram.
Joelinton wrote: “You will come back stronger bro.”
Botman delivered a similar message, writing: “With you brother.”
There was also a message from Chelsea legend John Terry, who commented: “Get well soon mate.”
And there was a reply from current Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell, who wrote: “All the best with the recovery bro.”
Targett robbed off run in the Newcastle team
It is such a shame to lose Targett, who has had no luck since joining the club permanently last summer for £15million.
He lost his place in the starting XI to Dan Burn after picking up an illness, and has never been able to win it back.
Now Burn is out of action due to a back problem, yet Targett is unable to reclaim his place in the side.
He was also being trialled as a midfielder against Manchester United, as Eddie Howe looked for a way to get Targett back in the team.
But now he will be watching from the sidelines, as Newcastle’s injury woes get worse and worse.
It leaves Eddie Howe with Lewis Hall and Paul Dummett as left-back options, while Kieran Trippier and Tino Livramento could also be asked to cover over there.
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