Newcastle dealt another injury blow; key man could miss rest of the season

Jamaal Lascelles, Ryan Fraser, Joelinton, Newcastle celeb

Newcastle United could be without their captain Jamaal Lascelles for the rest of the season as a result of an injury he picked in last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham.

The centre-back suffered a stress fracture to his foot which has ruled him out of the Magpies‘ trip to Burnley on Sunday. The battle at Turf Moor is a massive game at the bottom of the Premier League, with both sides still looking over their shoulder at the relegation zone.

The extent of Lascelles’ fracture is set to be discovered when the defender undergoes scans in the coming days. If manager Steve Bruce‘s worst fears are confirmed, he will be without his key defensive figure for the fight to avoid the drop.

“The disappointing news is Jamaal Lascelles is missing with a foot injury suffered last week,” Bruce said at his pre-match press conference.

“It’s not looking so good at the moment so he will have more scans over the weekend, he won’t play this weekend that’s for sure, it’s a stress fracture.”

Lascelles joins defensive partner Fabian Schar on the injury list. This means the Toon are now left with only Ciaran Clark and Federico Fernandez as their fit centre-half options.

Newcastle, like many other teams in the top flight this season, have been struck severely by injuries. They welcomed back winger Allan Saint-Maximin last weekend as the Frenchman came on as a second half substitute.

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They’ve been without their number nine Callum Wilson for the last seven games. The striker is set for a return to the side this weekend though in another attacking boost for Bruce.

“Callum will be in the squad,” the 60-year-old said. “We’ve still got two days of training. Callum and Allan have trained all week. That’s good news for us.”

Pundit claims Wilson the key to survival

Former Newcastle midfielder Rob Lee feels the return of Wilson will give the Magpies the edge in the battle to avoid relegation.

The 29-year-old had started 21 Premier League games for the Tynesiders before injury struck, netting 10 goals.

The St James’ Park outfit have scored just five times while the former Bournemouth man has been rehabbing. They are only three points above 18th-placed Fulham but do have a game in hand on the Cottagers.

Lee believes the return of the man with four England caps could swing the balance in Newcastle’s favour.

“He makes a difference, it’s genuinely that simple,” he told Football FanCast. “Out of all the clubs down the bottom, no one has got a goalscorer.”

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