Eddie Howe confirms when Harvey Barnes will return after Newcastle United sell Miguel Almiron

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Newcastle United are extremely short of wingers right now.

Harvey Barnes is injured, with the England international out of action with a muscle problem. Elsewhere, Newcastle have finally sold Miguel Almiron to Atlanta United.

That leaves Eddie Howe with just two fit senior wingers – Anthony Gordon and Jacob Murphy.

At the moment, that is not an issue. They are both playing incredibly well, but there could be a time when they suffer their own injury problems or lose form. That is why Eddie Howe desperately needs another option in that department.

However, Newcastle are not expected to sign anyone despite selling Almiron. That is a blow, as the Magpies err on the side of caution and wait until the summer to reinvest.

Eddie Howe shares injury update on Harvey Barnes

That puts Eddie Howe’s current wingers under even more pressure, while there is added incentive for Harvey Barnes to recover from injury as soon as possible.

However, Eddie Howe has admitted during his pre-match press conference before Fulham that it will still be at least a couple of weeks before we see the 27-year-old again.

“Harvey is a little behind, he is maybe two to three weeks away,” he said.

Positive news on Callum Wilson’s Newcastle United return

While Barnes is still a few weeks away from returning to fitness, there is more positive news regarding Callum Wilson’s availability.

The 32-year-old has not featured since the Magpies’ 4-2 defeat to Brentford in December, but it has been reported that Wilson hopes to return against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup next week.

That is now a possibility, with Howe addressing Wilson’s comeback on Friday morning.

“Callum is getting there, we have seen him in training this week,” he said.

“He’s not been involved in all of the session but part of it, there is no plan to involve him this week but chance for games coming up after.”

It will be a major boost to have Wilson back, but Newcastle will know they need to be careful as they aim to ensure he enjoys a sustained period of fitness.

Having Wilson back will take the pressure off of Alexander Isak, while it also means that Howe will have another option in attack. It opens up the possibility of Newcastle playing with two strikers, or we have even seen Isak operate out wide in the past. However, Howe might be reluctant to do that given how well the Sweden international is playing centrally this season.