Newcastle have lost two key players through injury in the first half during their Premier League game against Fulham on Saturday (16 December) at St James’ Park.
In the first half, Fabian Schar left the pitch after clutching his hamstring in the 11th minute, but Eddie Howe will be worried to see that Joelinton has also picked up a knock in the 34th minute, and was taken off.
Andy Walker, who works as a pundit for Sky Sports, said that it was “awful” to lose Joelinton in the first half, as the injury crisis deepened for the Magpies. Already the Magpies are losing a host of key players, and that’s the last thing Eddie Howe would have wanted to see.
“This is awful. He is such a big fan’s favourite as well. We have seen little glimpses of his skill and ability and imagination,” said Walker while commentating on the game (World feed, 34 min).
Frustrating
This must be really frustrating for Howe. The Magpies should find a way to score with Fulham going down to ten men after Raul Jimenez picked up a red card for a foul on Sean Longstaff.
Newcastle welcomed back Calum Wilson for this game, and they are likely to get Sven Botman back soon, but the injuries to Joelinton and Schar will be a massive blow to the club.
At the moment, the Magpies are missing the likes of Jacob Murphy, Nick Pope, and Harvey Barnes among other key players while Alexander Isak hasn’t made the squad as well through injury.
The likes of Longstaff and Anthony Gordon came close to scoring while Wilson managed to get a glancing header straight at the goalie. For Fulham, Alex Iwobi nearly scored after pouncing on a poor misplaced pass from Joelinton.
Howe will hope that the injuries to Joelinton and Schar are not serious.
