Jamaal Lascelles went off injured after 20 minutes during the win over Bournemouth on Saturday, but Newcastle’s quality at the position will lessen the impact if he is out long-term.
There is now an international break, and the extra week will help players get over any issues, and not playing until the Monday night when the Premier League resumes, is also a plus.
The possibility of having both Lascelles and Fabian Schar sidelined for their next game would be a devastating blow for most teams, and while it is not ideal for Newcastle, we have proved we have quality replacements to deputise.
It speaks volumes for the strength we have in depth at centre-back, and I would go as far as to say it is arguably one of the best groups of central defenders as a whole, in the Premier League.
Schar has been out for three games now, but Federico Fernandez has been fantastic since he stood-in for him.
Steve Bruce also had the luxury of dropping Paul Dummett after the Leicester debacle, and was able to draft Ciaran Clark into the team instead.
Clark has subsequently scored two goals, and not put a foot wrong at the back since getting his chance.
Florian Lejeune is also set to return to the squad
As if that was not positive enough, we now have Florian Lejeune knocking on the door of a return, and he is often thought of as the best defender at the club.
So if there is one position where the effects of being without two of our key players will have minimal effect, it is at central defence.
Of course, on the flip-side, six into three does not go, and keeping them all happy, when everyone is fit, is a different matter, but that is a problem for another day.
For now, it is a welcome change to know that a couple of big injuries is not about to bring a crisis to the football club, although the same cannot necessarily be said if the same thing happens in a couple of other positions.
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