Newcastle United have released official training pictures ahead of this weekend’s game against Crystal Palace, and Kieran Trippier is conspicuous by his absence.
The Toon players can be seen being put through their paces by Eddie Howe in freezing conditions, with the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin and Fabian Schar doing their best to protect themselves from the cold. Chris Wood is also pictured taking part, having been linked with a loan move to Nottingham Forest.
However, Trippier is nowhere to be seen. The club posted 64 photos on their official website, and the 32-year-old cannot be spotted in any of them.
That will cast doubt over whether or not he is fit for the game at Selhurst Park on Saturday night. The Magpies face Crystal Palace at 5.30pm, with the game broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK.
Kieran Trippier has been ever-present for Newcastle this season
Hopefully Trippier’s absence is just a precaution. Newcastle have some important games coming up, with the first leg of the League Cup semi final against Southampton just a few days after our next Premier League fixture.
The £12million man played the full 90 minutes in the win over Fulham last time out, and was involved in one of the flash points. He conceded a penalty midway through the second half, despite the fact he was clearly stood on by Bobby Decordova-Reid. Luckily, Newcastle were not punished from the spot.
Trippier has played a lot of football this season. He has started all 19 league games so far, playing at least 80 minutes on each occasion. And he has also appeared in every cup outing.
But with the right-back not seen in training on Wednesday, perhaps there is a chance that his run of featuring in every game could come to an end.
Hopefully that is not the case, as it would be a real blow if he was missing against Palace – especially with Bruno Guimaraes out too.
The Brazilian was not seen in training, having suffered an ankle injury in the win on Sunday. However, he could reportedly return for next Tuesday’s Carabao Cup contest – Newcastle’s biggest game of the season so far.
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