Eddie Howe gives positive injury update on two Newcastle United players ahead of Arsenal clash
Eddie Howe was in good spirits as he met the media on Friday morning ahead of Sunday's Premier League meeting with Arsenal at St James' Park, live on Sky Sports, with a kick-off time of 4:30 pm.
As is tradition, injury updates were up first for the Toon gaffer with a couple of question marks over some key players after midweek.
Howe had already allayed fears of Sven Botman being injured after he was substituted in midweek, saying it was merely a case of giving Alex Murphy some minutes.
Another Murphy was absent entirely on Wednesday as Jacob Murphy sat the game out along with Dan Burn. While everyone was sure that Burn was just handed a much-earned rest, the fact that Murphy's absence came after Eddie Howe had mentioned an achilles problem was a cause for concern.
Eddie Howe has given positive updates on the Jacobs
Naturally, Howe was asked for an update on Murphy in Friday morning's press conference, along with any news on Jacob Ramsey's recovery, and it was positive news on both.
"We have a couple of players to check today. No major injuries from the game. Jacob [Murphy] is doing okay, it is an issue we are managing. He is fit and available, but some days he has been sore, so we are just trying to manage his load."
"I think his [Jacob Ramsey's] recovery is going really well. He's on the grass, working hard, building his fitness. The plan, I think, was that it would be the first game after the international break. If it's anything other than that, then of course, he is ahead of schedule."
We expect Jacob Ramsey will be given until after the international break to fully recover
Yoane Wissa seems to still be aiming for a return after the international break, and it's still touch and go whether he'll make the Brighton game, which is the first game back.
We'd be surprised if we see Ramsey back on the pitch before then, too, as it would probably make more sense to use that gap in the fixtures to make sure he's 100% when the Premier League returns.
It'll be interesting to see who starts on the right flank on Sunday, whether it's Jacob Murphy or Anthony Elanga, or if Will Osula has played his way into Howe's thoughts.
