The Daily Mail has reported that Newcastle United midfielder Joe Willock is a doubt for Friday’s clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers. Willock is said to have suffered a knee injury and will be assessed by Eddie Howe over the next 24 hours.
The injury appears to have come in the Magpies’ match with Spurs on Sunday according to the same report. This could leave Howe with a decision to make on how will come into the Newcastle midfield.
Sean Longstaff or Bruno Guimaraes will likely be the choice to make the starting XI against Wolves. The Toon will want to return to St James’ Park with a statement after a 5-1 loss to Spurs this past weekend.
Guimaraes should be the one to come into Newcastle’s midfield to replace Willock
Of the two replacements for Willock, Guimaraes should get the nod over Longstaff. He came off the bench in Sunday’s match but Newcastle were already chasing the game by this point.
Should the Brasilian be picked to start it would be his first start at St James’ Park. This would certainly give the crowd something to shout about and get firmly behind the team.
The Toon’s home ground is starting to become a real fortress once again and will hope they can get a result against Wolves. But their opposition will be tough, they’ve won three of their last five games and sit in 8th place in the league.
Guimaraes has impressed since his arrival in January. He’s shown a lot of style and class in midfield and netted a stunning goal in a 2-1 over Southampton last month.
The loss of Willock could be a blow for the Magpies, but Guimaraes would certainly fill in very well. Some Newcastle fans will hope that Willock isn’t out for too long.
Also, the Magpies have some good news on the injury front. The same Daily Mail report states that Kieran Trippier should be back in contention at the end of April.
Trippier will miss the fixtures against Wolves and Leicester but his season could be far from over. It will definitely be a huge boost for Newcastle. The England international has shone since he joined in January, scoring important goals against Everton and Aston Villa.
Furthermore, his character and ability have been top notch. He’s certainly been one of the best players Newcastle have had in a long time.
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