International coach delighted that £5m Newcastle man is back to full fitness

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There have been some positive returns for Newcastle United despite a growing injury list.

Dan Burn, Jacob Murphy and Callum Wilson have all picked up knocks in the last couple of games to add to the already extensive list of side-lined players at Newcastle.

However, they have had some good news with the return of Emil Krafth who has come back into the team after 14 months out with a serious injury and who has now been called up by Sweden manager Janne Anderson.

Krafth had sustained the blow in a Carabao Cup match against Tranmere last August and had to be stretchered off.

The 29-year-old made his return in the same competition against Manchester United and had an excellent game at centre-back partnering fellow experienced defender Paul Dummett.

If you didn’t know otherwise you’d have been forgiven for thinking the Swede had been playing in the squad regularly for the last 12 months, not recovering from an ACL injury.

Krafth can still play a huge role in Newcastle’s season

With starting defender Sven Botman still out, there could definitely be a part for Krafth to play in the coming weeks given Newcastle’s hectic schedule.

The Magpies are still fighting on four fronts and could utilise the £5m signing either at centre-back or right-back.

After so long out, the defender will be excited to get back into the international squad and pick back up where he left off prior to his injury.

Anderson spoke to Fotbollskanalen on Krafth’s return to the Sweden squad and said: “It’s great fun. He was last involved in June last year and then injured his cruciate ligament at the beginning of the season.

“It has been a long rehab for him, and now he has been in full training for quite some time, so he is in good shape, while he made a great match last week as a centre-back. In this squad he is relevant as a centre back and right back.”

Krafth’s previous form has gone under the radar

Many may have forgotten just how good Krafth was playing before his injury simply because it was so long ago.

When Kieran Trippier injured his foot against Aston Villa in the 2021/22 season, everyone knew it was going to be a huge blow. His replacement was Krafth who had looked an underwhelming prospect under Steve Bruce.

Instead, like many other players have under Eddie Howe, the right-back took it all in his stride and really impressed towards the end of the season as Newcastle navigated a mid-table finish.