Kieran Trippier sends message to fans after making Newcastle United return in West Ham defeat

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Kieran Trippier made his first appearance since early October when he came off the bench for Newcastle United on Monday evening.

The 34-year-old has played less than 300 minutes in the Premier League this season due to injuries and losing his starting spot to Tino Livramento.

Kieran Trippier is yet to play a full 90 minutes for Newcastle in any competition this season and his last appearance came on October 5th in the 0-0 draw to Everton before he was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Trippier hinted at a Newcastle return against West Ham and the former Magpies captain was named as a substitute at St James’ Park.

Eddie Howe introduced him in the final few minutes against the Hammers but Trippier was unable to make an impact as Newcastle suffered a 2-0 defeat. After the full-time whistle, Howe said having Trippier back is a “massive” positive.

Kieran Trippier sends message to fans after Newcastle return

After Emil Krafth was injured, Trippier’s return is a big boost for Newcastle’s defensive depth.

However, it seems he may not be sticking around on Tyneside for too long after Trippier requested to leave Newcastle in the summer.

Howe did not want to part ways with the experienced full-back but Trippier could now leave in January.

If that is the case, it means he only has a handful of games left at St James’ Park, and he took to Instagram to send supporters a message after making his return against West Ham.

Trippier posted: “Disappointed with the result tonight but we go again on Saturday. Good to be back out there.”

Kieran Trippier faces fight for Newcastle starting spot

Despite returning to full fitness, there is no guarantee that Trippier returns to the starting lineup against Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.

Livramento has been superb at right-back this season and deserves to keep his spot. Trippier will have to play second-fiddle to the 22-year-old, especially as Newcastle begin to plan for the future.

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Since the start of the season, Trippier has had to accept a role as an impact substitute and that will likely be the case until he moves on either in January or the summer.

Howe did experiment with a new shape against West Ham late on that included Trippier and Livramento on either flank, but the Newcastle boss also conceded that he “didn’t like the look” of his side in the final 30 minutes.