Injuries are costing Newcastle United this season.
Eddie Howe couldn’t even fill his bench for Tuesday night’s defeat at Borussia Dortmund, such are the lack of available bodies.
Newcastle also lost Callum Wilson to injury, making matters even worse.
Indeed, Howe does at least have the international break on the horizon as he attempts to recover some players.
Still, they face the task of traveling down to Bournemouth on Saturday. While that might not sound too daunting, all the pressure will be on the Magpies to follow up their controversial win over Arsenal and keep the pace with the rest of the top four hopefuls.
With that in mind, they could do without any problems.
Which makes Howe’s comments on Kieran Trippier particularly interesting.
Newcastle injuries: Kieran Trippier latest
Trippier did not enjoy his best night for the club since a £12m move from Atletico Madrid.
There may, however, be a reason.
Speaking after the game, Howe admitted the England international suffered a dead leg against Arsenal.
“No, I think he’s OK,” he said (via The Chronicle).
“He had a bit of a dead leg from the Arsenal game and they can be sore for a few days, but not a muscle problem.”
Newcastle team news: Time to rest Trippier
The idea of resting Trippier a few weeks ago would have been ridiculous.
Excellent going forward and hailed as defensively “nasty” by Alan Shearer, the 33-year-old has been so important to Howe’s rapid fire rebuild.
Still, he wasn’t at his best on Tuesday night and cannot be expected to play every game. Tino Livramento, meanwhile, excelled again and provides a youthful exuberance at a time when the team are looking tired.
With Lewis Hall available at left-back and Paul Dummett around too, a favourable looking trip to the south coast might be the perfect time to afford Trippier a rest.
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