Eddie Howe could turn to youth for Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup game against Fulham.
It is Newcastle United vs Fulham on Wednesday night, as the Magpies begin their battle to bounce back from Sunday’s derby day humiliation.
A win in the Carabao Cup quarter-final will not heal the pain of losing to Sunderland, but it will be a small step in the right direction.
Who would you start in defence against Fulham?
Jacob Murphy at right-back? A chance for Alex Murphy?
Ahead of the game, Eddie Howe has issues in defence. Injuries have piled up for the Magpies, with Dan Burn the latest player to be ruled out. He could be out for up to six weeks after suffering a broken rib and a punctured lung at the Stadium of Light.
He joins Sven Botman, Kieran Trippier and Emil Krafth on the shelf, leaving Newcastle with a shortage of defenders.
Leo Shahar could be called up for Newcastle United vs Fulham
Eddie Howe has already had youngster Alex Murphy in reserve in recent weeks, and now he could be joined by another player from the Newcastle United academy.
Newcastle United Under-21s were in action on Tuesday night, taking on Halifax Town in the National League Cup. The starting XI included the likes of Sean Neave, Park Seung-Soo and Anthony Munda.
However, there was no sign of Leo Shahar. That could suggest that the 18-year-old is going to be involved in the Newcastle United squad to face Fulham on Wednesday night.
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Shahar is a right-back, which is a position Newcastle are desperately short of options in. Trippier and Krafth’s absence mean that Tino Livramento has no direct cover, which is a major concern given the number of minutes he has played since returning from injury.
He could now be backed up by Shahar, who is yet to make his senior debut. However, Shahar looks destined for a bright future at Newcastle, having been on the bench before and trained regularly with the first-team.
Our predicted XI to face Fulham tonight! What changes would you make? ⚫⚪
What Newcastle United plan to do with Leo Shahar in January
As the January transfer window looms, there are plenty of Toon youngsters who will be eyeing a loan move.
Sean Neave says he wants to go on loan, while it has been reported that Alex Murphy could leave Newcastle temporarily too.
As for Shahar, he is getting to the stage of his career where he could benefit from exposure to senior football. EFL clubs are interested in Shahar, but a January move might not be on the cards.
The Chronicle have reported that Newcastle could keep Shahar in January, which feels even more likely the longer these injury issues persist.
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