The Newcastle United squad landed in Saudi Arabia last night ahead of a mid-season training camp.
The Magpies travelled to Saudi the morning after the Leeds win, heading abroad for warm weather training. Eddie Howe’s side will also face Al-Ittihad in a friendly.
It’s a journey that has caused some controversy, shining a renewed spotlight on the Saudi-backed takeover that went through in October last year.
But Howe insisted on Friday that they are going for football reasons, and an exciting face has made the journey with the team.
Newcastle post pictures of Saudi Arabia arrival
The club have posted a selection of pictures from their arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Amanda Staveley leads the way, but the image below is the most interesting of the lot.
Walking down the stairs alongside coach Graeme Jones is our number nine Callum Wilson.
The Toon striker is currently out injured, limping off against Manchester United on December 27th. Wilson hasn’t been seen since, with Howe stating on January 8th that he would miss eight weeks of action with a calf injury.
This was a real blow for the Magpies, who rely heavily on Wilson for goals. Despite multiple injury problems, he’s already scored six times this season.
But with Wilson out, Newcastle have brought in Chris Wood to ease the striker woes.
However, it’s very interesting to see Wilson on the trip to Saudi Arabia despite his injury status. It’s only been two weeks since Howe stated he would be out for two months.
An early comeback is likely fanciful given the nature of the injury. However, it is encouraging to see Wilson with the squad. He’s a vital player, so the fact he’s with the team while he continues his rehabilitation is good to see during this squad trip away.
Joelinton, Jamaal Lascelles and Paul Dummett are also there – the trio who limped off injured on Saturday.
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