Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson could be sidelined for the rest of the year while Sven Botman may have to undergo surgery as the club’s injury crisis shows few signs of abating.
The Magpies are currently the worst affected club in the Premier League when it comes to injuries, with 11 first-team players on the treatment table ahead of a crucial slew of fixtures that includes top four rivals Chelsea and Manchester United.
Wilson was only expected to sidelined for a couple of weeks after being substituted in the 2-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Uefa Champions League last week, but the Telegraph report that the forward could be out for at least six weeks.
Meanwhile, Sven Botman may require surgery on a knee injury he suffered in the 8-0 win over Sheffield United in September.
The Dutch defender, who has been receiving specialist treatment in the Netherlands, was said by Eddie Howe to be making good progress in his recovery, but the report claims that he may need to go under the knife to resolve the issue – which could rule him out until February.
In more positive news for Newcastle, Alexander Isak and Miguel Almiron could return after the international break to face Chelsea, but that would still leave the PIF-owned club with a threadbare squad ahead of the game at St James’ Park.
Dan Burn, Jacob Murphy, Harvey Barnes, Elliot Anderson, Fabian Schar, Javier Manquillo and Matt Targett are all ruled out through injury, while Lewis Hall cannot play against his parent club while on loan from the Blues.
Bruno Guimarães is suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season during the 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth. Sandro Tonali is also unavailable as he serves a ten-month ban for breaching betting rules and regulations while at AC Milan.
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