Just days after being knocked out of the World Cup with England, Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson are back in training with Newcastle United.
That is according to Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie, who believes that the duo returned on Wednesday after their tournament came to an end on Saturday.
It is an incredibly quick turnaround for Trippier and Wilson, although neither of them have played any football since the group stage.
They did not feature in the defeat to France, nor did either of them come on in the 3-0 win over Senegal. The last time a Newcastle player featured for England was in the win over Wales, where both Trippier and Wilson came off the bench.
But now their World Cup is over, and they can turn their attentions back to club matters. That is excellent news for Toon fans, who are beginning to get excited about domestic football returning.
The Magpies have a friendly at St James’ Park on Saturday against Rayo Vallecano, then club football really returns a few days later. It is Newcastle versus Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup on December 20th, and Wilson and Trippier’s return to training is a timely one.
But while the England duo have now returned, others have not.
Trippier and Wilson back in training, but three others given extended breaks
Newcastle had five first-team players competing in Qatar, but they have all been knocked out of the competition now. There are no Toon representatives in the final between Argentina and France.
Trippier and Wilson are already back in training for Newcastle, but that is not the case for the other three World Cup players.
According to Sky Sports’ Keith Downie, Nick Pope, Bruno Guimaraes and Fabian Schar have been given more time off after their exploits in Qatar. However, he adds that they will return very soon.
Fans will be desperate to know how soon is ‘very soon’, as they are three important players – especially Bruno. He was left in tears after Brazil were knocked out, but didn’t actually play a lot of football for his country.
As for Pope, he didn’t play a single minute for England, while Schar played a game and a half for Switzerland.
But there is also the rigours of training on top of that, and the mental strain that comes with competing at a World Cup and representing your country.
Hopefully we see the trio of Pope, Bruno and Schar back very soon – preferably in time for them to be selected against Bournemouth next week.
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