A few interesting names are missing from Newcastle United’s latest training photos ahead of this weekend’s game against Brighton And Hove Albion.
The biggest absentee is Sven Botman, who suffered an ankle injury against Liverpool. It has been reported that he will miss at least a couple of weeks of action, and the fact he has not been seen in training suggests that claim might be true.
If Botman is unavailable for the Brighton game, it should present Matt Targett with an opportunity. He replaced the Dutchman on Sunday, with Dan Burn moving into the centre of defence.
That is the change Eddie Howe is expected to make on Saturday evening, but there is now concern over Targett.
Matt Targett not seen in Newcastle training pictures
The club have released 26 pictures from training this week, with Targett not spotted in any of them.
There is no reason to believe that he is injured, having only played the final few minutes against Liverpool on Sunday.
Not seeing him in action comes as a real surprise, and it comes at a very interesting time. Not only is he on the brink of getting back into Howe’s Premier League XI, but he is also being linked with a move away from St James’ Park.
Both Fulham and Nottingham Forest are keen on signing the 27-year-old, but Howe is eager to keep Targett on Tyneside.
However, it has been claimed that the defender is actually open to leaving this month, having become ‘frustrated‘ by his lack of minutes. But his minutes are about to increase, as Botman’s absence will hand him a direct route back into the starting lineup.
It is a shock to not see him involved in training, but perhaps it is just a coincidence. While Botman not being spotted hints at him really being injured, the lack of Targett pictures could just be the left-back managing to avoid the camera.
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