£15m Newcastle United player completed wasted his golden opportunity before the Carabao Cup final

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Newcastle United have multiple issues ahead of the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.

The biggest is Anthony Gordon’s suspension. The 24-year-old was sent off during Newcastle’s FA Cup loss to Brighton, which means he will miss the game at Wembley.

Eddie Howe must now decide who will replace Gordon, with Joelinton and Harvey Barnes the obvious choices.

But the Gordon situation is not Howe’s only issue as the Carabao Cup final looms. Newcastle United are hoping that Alexander Isak will be fully fit, while Sven Botman is yet to return from injury.

Lewis Hall is injured

On top of that, Newcastle United were without Lewis Hall on Sunday.

The 20-year-old was a shock omission from the Magpies’ squad, with Hall not even named on the bench after playing so well against Liverpool during the week.

After the game, Howe confirmed that Hall was absent due to an ankle injury he suffered during the defeat to Liverpool.

“It’s an ankle problem that Lewis picked up after the Liverpool game,” he told the Northern Echo.

“He didn’t really recover well. He felt pain, so he had a scan and now he’s been to see a specialist. We’re awaiting further news. There’s no timescale on that at the moment.”

Newcastle United defender failed Carabao Cup final audition

In Hall’s absence, Tino Livramento started at left-back and Kieran Trippier played right-back.

The latter then suffered a back issue, which resulted in Matt Targett coming on.

The £15million man was brought on at left-back in the 69th minute, getting a rare chance to potentially make the position his own amid the uncertainty surrounding Hall’s fitness.

Alas, Targett did not take that opportunity. He was extremely wasteful down the left flank, conceding possession 10 times and failing with all five of his attempted crosses.

Time after time, Targett’s delivery would strike a Brighton defender. It was incredibly infuriating, down a side of the pitch where Lewis Hall has become so dangerous.

With Gordon set to miss the Carabao Cup final through suspension, there is more pressure on whoever is at left-back to be an attacking outlet. Hall can be just that, but his availability for the final remains a mystery.

As for Targett, his attacking qualities completely eluded him as he squandered his big chance.

It remains to be seen if Howe will be able to rely on his first choice left-back at Wembley. If he cannot, Targett has not done enough to prove he should start.