Newcastle United face West Ham away from home tomorrow with possibly two right-backs unavailable. Kieran Trippier and Javier Manquillo both sustained injuries against Aston Villa.
Trippier will be ruled out for the ‘upcoming fixtures’ per The Chronicle. As for Manquillo, he has also been ruled out for the West Ham game (confirmed on the club’s Twitter page).
Emil Krafth could be called upon for the clash against West Ham. He made a substitute appearance last weekend, replacing Trippier.
After a solid showing against Villa, Krafth will want to prove doubters wrong with another good performance
Some Newcastle fans (including myself) have never been fully convinced by the Swedish international. He signed back in 2019 from Ameins for £5 million (Sky Sports).
He’s never stood out on the pitch and has struggled when coming up against many wingers in the league. He’s fallen out of favour with current boss Eddie Howe.
But with the injuries sustained by the Magpies, it’s an opportunity for Krafth to make a statement. A top performance against the Hammers and he puts himself in contention for a starting role.
West Ham are having a very impressive season, so it would be very impressive if the 27-year-old held his own against them. Furthermore, Manquillo might be ruled out for a few more games, making Krafth the only right-back option.
So the pressure is on the Swede to deliver Newcastle. Furthermore, it’s a chance to win over some fans who don’t rate the right-back.
Against Villa when he came on, Krafth did hold his own. He didn’t do much wrong and was solid in the right-back. With players such as Joe Willock and Ryan Fraser turning around their form under Howe, Krafth could do the same.
It’s a big opportunity for Emil Krafth to potentially start against a side challenging for the top four. He could prove a lot of his critics wrong and make a case to start over Manquillo who is in doubt.
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