Newcastle United will be without Kieran Trippier for the foreseeable future as he’s broken a bone in his foot. The 31-year-old picked up the injury in the Magpies’ 1-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon, coming off in the 48th minute and being replaced by Emil Krafth.
Trippier has enjoyed a bright start to life at Newcastle and has already been among the goals, so Noel Whelan believe his absence is a ‘devastating blow’. Whelan doesn’t believe the Magpies’ hopes of survival are at risk without the ‘brilliant’ England international, but he believes his ‘quality’ will be missed.
Whelan told Football Insider: “It’s a devastating blow, because he’s been a leader ever since he walked into the club. He’s got a wealth of experience from what he’s done in the game. Obviously, he’s had a brilliant international career, he’s won the league with Atletico Madrid – and he’s bringing that to Newcastle.”
Trippier joined United on a two-and-a-half-year deal from Atleti in early-January and has gone on to make five appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals, both of which were direct free-kicks.
Whelan added: “We’ve seen his quality already from set-pieces which is another string to his bow. Eddie Howe and the Newcastle fans will be putting their hands together and praying that he can come back quickly from this injury. Kieran Trippier is so important to that Newcastle side. He has been great in organising and energising that defence from a leadership point of view.”
Trippier’s exact return date is unknown, but it’s unlikely he’ll feature for the rest of Feb and possibly most of March too. Eddie Howe will now have to turn to Krafth and Javier Manquillo who haven’t been the most convincing this season.
In other news, Garth Crooks says ‘effective’ Dan Burn had ‘impressive’ Newcastle debut
