Newcastle United have both Emil Krafth and Matt Targett on standby for next Monday’s clash with West Ham.
With Sven Botman also described as touch and go for both the London Stadium encounter and the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool and Lewis Hall awaiting results from a specialist after an ankle injury, head coach Eddie Howe already has his plateful regarding treatment room updates.
However, both Kieran Trippier, who came off in the 2-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup, and Tino Livramento were being assessed ahead of the clash with the Hammers.
Speaking on Trippier’s fitness, Howe said: “Kieran felt his back, so we were navigating a lot of problems through that game that we hope don’t have long-term consequences for us because we have such a small squad.”
Livramento’s issue could be less concerning, but Howe said: “Tino was clearly struggling, although I think it was cramp more than an injury. He was limited, and that limited us a lot, although I thought the players around him covered that really well.”
Targett got 51 valuable minutes in the tank against the Seagulls on Sunday and could offer an alternative to playing either Trippier or Livramento out of position. And Sweden international Krafth has also been fielded as full-back which could provide another option for Howe.
Offering an update on Hall, Howe said: “It’s an ankle problem that Lewis picked up after the Liverpool game. He didn’t really recover well. He felt pain, so he had a scan and now he’s been to see a specialist. We’re awaiting further news. There’s no timescale on that at the moment.”
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