'A little earlier': £39m Newcastle man could return from injury early after 'frustrating' layoff

Newcastle United have received some potential good news on the injury front.

The treatment room at Newcastle is looking rather busy these days with a few long-term injuries to deal with.

Jacob Murphy, Alexander Isak, Sven Botman and Elliot Anderson all joined Harvey Barnes and Joe Willock on the long-term injury list this season.

Thankfully Joe Willock, who hadn't been seen since last season, is now back to fitness and even made an appearance in the Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday. Now it's just a case of getting his match sharpness back.

Harvey Barnes, meanwhile, was not expected to return to training until 2024 with a toe injury that saw the winger withdrawn during only his second start for Newcastle following his £39million switch from Leicester City.

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However, now, NewcastleWorld has reported that Eddie Howe has said Barnes' recovery is ahead of schedule and he could return to training this year, albeit in December.

“Hopefully we can get him back a little earlier than that but we’re looking towards the end of December.

“Yeah, he’s OK. I think it was a frustrating injury because it was very innocuous, he felt pain in his toe when trying to push off, which is a movement he’s done many times in his career.

“And it’s frustrating one because I don’t think there’s a lot you can do early on, you just have to rest and let the bone heal. Once he starts moving that then hopefully he’ll feel quite good.”

We can't wait to have Barnes back available for selection, in the few appearances he made before being sidelined he looked really good, and although Anthony Gordon is a machine, he is going to need a rest at some point.

If we can make it through this current injury crisis without falling off the pace too much, Newcastle will absolutely boss the second half of the season.