Florian Lejeune must be one of the unluckiest players in Newcastle’s history after suffering anterior cruciate ligament injuries in both legs, but the player is closing on on his latest comeback.
He told the Newcastle United official website that he is, hopefully, just weeks away from being in first-team contention, provided he gets the green light during his visit to his Rome-based surgeon in the coming days.
His return will be another fitness boost for Steve Bruce, as the occupants of a busy treatment room at the training ground become fewer week by week.
Lejeune’s return will pose questions for Bruce
When Lejeune does finally return, it will put question-marks over a couple of defenders who are currently first-team regulars.
With the form of Fabian Schar making him almost undroppable, it means there will be pressure over the places of Paul Dummett and skipper Jamaal Lascelles.
While Dummett has done little to suggest he should make-way for the returning Frenchman, there is always the option for him to revert to his more familiar left-back role.
But another option, is to take Lascelles out of the side, with the club captain’s performance levels dipping somewhat this season.
Lascelles has made a few mistakes during games in the early weeks, and his distribution has been particularly poor.
It would be a courageous move from Bruce to leave his skipper on the bench for a spell, but whoever is the unlucky loser – should he opt to bring Lejeune back into the fold – it will be a welcome problem for the head coach to have.
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