Newcastle United midfielder Joe Willock has been pictured back in training ahead of the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
There has been fear that Willock will miss the Carabao Cup final due to a hamstring injury, but it appears that he has taken a big step in his road to recovery.
The 23-year-old has not featured since limping off against Bournemouth. After that game, the Telegraph reported that he was at risk of missing the game against Manchester United at Wembley.
Eddie Howe has since spoke about Willock in the press, and has been upbeat about him having a chance of recovering in time for the final. In his most recent press conference, the Toon boss stated that he is ‘hopeful‘ of being able to call upon Willock.
And that hope will have grown after seeing the £25million man in training on Wednesday.
Joe Willock trains with Newcastle teammates after injury
The club have released a selection of pictures from Wednesday morning’s training session, with the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman and Sean Longstaff all involved. Matt Targett is also seen taking part, with Howe recently stating that he thinks the left-back will be available at Wembley.
And there was also an appearance from Willock. He was pictured in multiple photos that the club posted on their official website, which is a big boost in his race to return for the final.
From the pictures he’s seen in, he may just be doing fitness work rather than ball work – he is not seen in the photos of Howe doing drills with the team. But the fact that Willock is on the grass with the rest of the first-team is brilliant news.
He has been excellent for us this season, and going to Wembley without him would have been a huge blow.
There are still no guarantees that he is fully fit for the final, but the signs are looking good as we hurtle towards Sunday’s mammoth encounter.
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