Eddie Howe ready to call upon promising youngster to help with problematic area for Newcastle United
Newcastle United are in the midst of a mini injury crisis right now, with two first-choice full-backs out injured.
Lewis Hall suffered a hamstring injury during his brief appearance against Union Saint-Gilloise last week, the extent of which is still to be determined.
Meanwhile, Tino Livramento picked up a nasty-looking knee injury against Arsenal, and while the prognosis for his knock was a lot better than expected, it's still going to keep him out of action for around eight weeks.
That's left Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier to hold down the fort. Both players are capable, but likely wouldn't be anybody's first pick to have an extended run in the side when the team are playing three games a week.
Eddie Howe doesn't have a 'rabbit in the hat' to solve his injury crisis
Eddie Howe was asked on Sunday after the game against Nottingham Forest what he plans to do to ease the burden on his ageing full-backs.
“There’s not too many options. I haven’t got a rabbit in the hat that people probably wouldn’t have thought of. That is a concern for us because it’s such a key position.
“I think Dan has played really well in the last two games there, and we do have players who can switch sides, although that is difficult. Tino Livramento made it look very easy, but it’s very difficult to do. Some players probably feel more comfortable doing that than others.
“We’ve got Alex Murphy, who’s developing all the time and who can play that role for us. But beyond that, I don’t think we have too many candidates.”
Eddie Howe has hinted that Alex Murphy could make the jump up to the starting lineup at some point soon
Alex Murphy has been in and around the first team squad for a while, but hasn't really made that breakthrough in terms of making it onto the pitch on a regular basis. He's been used quite often as an extra body on the bench, but his actual game time has been limited.
That being said, Eddie Howe clearly likes the look of the young Irishman, and it seems that the gaffer feels he's close to taking that next step.
Howe does have Emil Krafth for the right side of the defence and Murphy for the left, so he may rotate if he feels Burn and Trippier need a rest. It's not ideal, but this is why we have squads.
