- Newcastle United star returns to training
- Eddie Howe has labelled forward a ‘real competitor’
- Magpies must break bad run against Brighton
Newcastle United have been handed a fitness boost ahead of this weekend’s clash against Brighton at St James’ Park with Eddie Howe’s side in desperate need of a positive result.
The Magpies have lost their last five in all competitions with defeats to Crystal Palace, AFC Bournemouth and Arsenal following the international break. This weekend, Brighton visit Tyneside as they continue to challenge for a place in Europe next season.
Newcastle were boosted by the return of Bruno Guimaraes to the starting XI last week and will also welcome back Joelinton this weekend. The big midfielder has sat out the last two fixtures with a suspension picked up after accumulating too many yellow cards.
Newcastle United handed injury boost ahead of Brighton
Howe has also been without the services of top goalscorer Anthony Gordon in those matches. The England international picked up a hip injury earlier this month, having played for his nation during the break and then 71 minutes in an underwhelming performance at Crystal Palace.
The former Everton man has been hotly tipped to make a £75 million exit from St James’ Park this summer. That transfer talk had created a feeling of scepticism around the fresh injury worry, after the club went through a similar debacle with Alexander Isak last year.
Speaking after the defeat to Arsenal, Howe had firmly stamped out any such naysay. He said: “Anthony Gordon is injured, 100 per cent. So it’s a non-question.”
Now, The Daily Mail reports that Gordon has returned to first team training and is likely to be fit enough to feature this weekend. It’s also a boost for England and Thomas Tuchel, who may have feared a more serious issue ahead of the World Cup.
The Magpies will need Gordon back and firing on all cylinders. Not only must the side turn the tide of a torrid recent run, but Newcastle have not beaten Brighton in any of their last six meetings.
Eddie Howe: Anthony Gordon is a ‘winner’
Howe has stood by Gordon in recent months and knows how big a player he can be for the team. In March, the Newcastle manager said: “Ant, I’d probably categorise him as a winner. He wants to win everything, he’s a real competitor. He’s got that streak to him that I think all top players need where he’s very single-minded, very focused on his development and his game.
“I can only speak really glowingly of him this year. It hasn’t been a straightforward season for him. He’s had a lot of challenges, as every player does.
“But I think he’s probably in the best moment that he’s been this season currently. He’s playing really well. He’s played, obviously a different role for us, adapted to that really, really well.
“There’s a lot of pressure on him and a lot of media attention on him and rightly so – he’s an England international.
“He’ll (have) his own aims and goals that he wants to achieve, but I think he’s done really well.”
In other news, Newcastle United v Brighton early team news with 2 doubts and 7 outs.
