Newcastle United manager Steve McClaren has been handed a fresh injury blow ahead of this Sunday’s clash with high-flying Liverpool.
Sky Sports report that centre back Mike Williamson – who was only recalled from a loan spell at Championship side Wolves earlier this week due to Jamaal Lascelles’ injury – has tweaked his hamstring in training and is now a serious doubt for this weekend’s clash with The Reds.
Newcastle’s porous defence have leaked eight goals in their last two games, and the experienced Williamson was expected to be handed an unlikely recall to the starting XI in an effort to stem the tide against a vigorous Liverpool side.
The revitalised Merseysiders have been scoring for fun since eccentric German coach Jurgen Klopp replaced Brendan Rogers at the helm and, ahead of Sunday’s trip to St James’ Park, they dismantled Southampton 6-1 in the Capital One Cup quarter-finals.
Newcastle’s lack of squad depth means that the under-fire McClaren could be forced to stick with the same blundering back-four that imploded in the humiliating defeat to Palace against the Reds, and Klopp’s men will undoubtedly be licking their lips.
In a further blow to McClaren, Newcastle’s Ivorian midfield enforcer Cheick Tiote has been ruled out of Sunday’s game after failing to recover from a muscle problem he picked up in the first-half of the Magpies’ 3-0 defeat to Leicester City.
