A general view of Newcastle United supporters waiting outside the stadium for news of the latest developments in the sale of the club to the Saudi sovereign wealth fund for 300 million-pound ($408 million) takeover in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England Thursday Oct. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
It’s a real blow for Eddie Howe’s side.
Things aren’t going well for Newcastle United in terms of results this season, but they have also suffered a big injury “setback”, according to an update from journalist Craig Hope.
What’s going wrong at Newcastle?
The Magpies were flying when they won 5-1 at home to Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the Premier League campaign, looking like they had gone up another gear after last season’s brilliance.
Instead, things have unravelled a little alarmingly for Eddie Howe’s side, with three league defeats in a row coming their way, albeit a trio of difficult fixtures on paper.
A 1-0 defeat away to Manchester City was certainly nothing to be ashamed of, even if they didn’t offer a huge amount at the Etihad, but last weekend’s 2-1 loss at home to 10-man Liverpool was a poor performance, and a tough one to take. Newcastle were then beaten 3-1 at Brighton on Saturday evening, meaning it’s just three points from a possible 12 to start the campaign.
Things appear to have gone a bit flat at St James’ Park heading into the international break and it is vital that Howe and his players regroup upon their return, starting with a positive result when Brentford make the trip north on September 16th.
Not only are Newcastle struggling to kick on in 2023/24 when it comes to results, but a negative injury update has also emerged regarding one player who has already been absent of late, with things seemingly going from bad to worse.
Who is injured for Newcastle?
Taking to X, Hope confirmed that midfielder Joe Willock has suffered a “setback” in his recovery from a hamstring injury, with the midfielder now out for a further six weeks due to an Achilles issue.
“Joe Willock has suffered a setback in recovery from hamstring problem with a new Achilles injury & will be missing for another six weeks.”
This is a massive blow for Newcastle, with Willock not necessarily someone who will consistently make headlines with match-winning brilliance, but a key cog in the machine who proved to be a very important player last season, helping his side qualify for the Champions League.
The 24-year-old featured in 35 of his side’s Premier League matches in 2022/23, starting 31 of them, and not only did he register six assists and score three times, but he also mucked in defensively, averaging 1.5 tackles per game in the competition. He has been lauded as a “pivotal” figure for the Magpies by Howe, who also said that he is a “very, very good” player.
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Willock’s energy and versatility are such a key aspect of this Newcastle squad, allowing him to play either centrally or out wide, so he appears to be a big loss at the moment and will continue to be into the autumn.
In fairness to the Magpies, though, there shouldn’t be too big an overreaction to this start to the season, considering the calibre of opponents they have faced. The performance against Villa was sensational, and while the last couple of displays have been lacking a spark, there is no reason why Howe’s men can’t recover and go on a good run when the upcoming break is over, but they’ll have to do that without Willock
