Eddie Howe confirms when Javi Manquillo will return for Newcastle

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Newcastle United defender Javi Manquillo has had a pre-season to forget.

While Eddie Howe’s side have been put through their paces at home, in Austria and then Portugal, Manquillo is yet to feature.

The Spaniard hasn’t been pictured in training at all, missing out on vital preparation going into the new season.

Instead, Manquillo has suffered with an injury problem. It was claimed by the Chronicle that he’s been back in Spain receiving treatment.

Now Howe has commented on the situation, and provided an update on when the 28-year-old will return.

Eddie Howe on Javi Manquillo

The Toon boss spoke to the Shields Gazette after the 3-2 defeat to Benfica, and discussed the players who didn’t feature on Tuesday night.

“Fraser was missing with a family issue,” he said.

“We still haven’t seen Manquillo. We’re due to see him when we return to England.”

Injured at the worst time

That explains why Ryan Fraser didn’t feature against Benfica. Hopefully all is well and he’s ready for the new Premier League season starting next weekend.

As for Manquillo, he will be playing catch up. However, at least it sounds like he is set to return to training.

Newcastle have two friendlies this weekend, taking on Atalanta tonight then Bilbao on Saturday. It would be good to see Manquillo get some minutes in the tank in either game, but that feels unlikely.

The former Atletico Madrid right-back will be very disappointed about how pre-season has gone. He was already facing a battle to reclimb the defensive pecking order.

Manquillo was comfortably considered as Kieran Trippier’s deputy at the start of the year, but that is no longer the case. He’s been ousted by Emil Krafth, who has enjoyed a shocking renaissance in black and white. He’s even managed to secure a contract extension.

It has been claimed that Manquillo could leave the club this summer, with Spanish sides reportedly interested in his signature. With Newcastle boasting an inflated squad, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him moved on.

For now, the most important thing is getting fit as soon as possible. Then he can get to work in training and prove to Howe he still has a role to play at St James’ Park.