'We have to look after him':Eddie Howe still has reservations of Newcastle United star's fitness following lengthy layoff
Newcastle United have unfortunately found themselves in the situation of having a few first-team players missing through injury already this season.
Injuries are, of course, a part of the game, but after the injury crisis that made life very difficult for Eddie Howe two seasons ago, the club has worked hard to mitigate a repeat of such an event.
James Bunce was brought in by Paul Mitchell, perhaps the best thing he did as sporting director, and his work has massively reduced injuries and also prevented the medical team from allowing players to return before they were fully ready.
Additionally, Newcastle have recruited well this summer to add depth to the squad, but injuries can, will and have happened; it's how the club deals with the players' recovery that will determine how much of an impact they will have on the season.
Lewis Hall isn't 100% ready to play full matches regularly
Lewis Hall is on the comeback trail after breaking a bone in his foot last season, but he has so far been used sparingly, with Eddie Howe addressing why in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning.
“Lewis has been slightly more complex. We’re just trying to get him to feel totally comfortable within his body again. We have to monitor his work.
“He will be available (to start against Nottingham Forest), but Lewis has had a couple of little things in his body where he hasn’t felt 100% right.
“So we have got to try and get him back feeling robust enough, as he was before his injury, to play regularly. He looked physically great at that moment, and sometimes we forget how young he is, so we have to look after him.
“He will get to that stage where is able to play fluently again, and take the load no problem. Even with the schedule we have, I see a time where he can play all the games he wants to play. But he has to play well.”
Tino Livramento's injury does present a bit of a problem to Eddie Howe
We're not convinced that the club would have been so careful to manage his return before the days of James Bunce, so it's good to see that time is being taken to make sure players are 100% fit and ready to return before being thrown back into playing.
With Tino Livramento out for around eight weeks now, though, we hope that Hall can get back up to 100% sooner rather than later, as we're starting to remember why we didn't like seeing Dan Burn at left back.
In fact, we'd probably prefer Emil Krafth at right-back and Kieran Trippier on the left until Lewis Hall is fit. Keep Big Dan Burn for centre-back or just leave him on the bench.
