Soccer Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Liverpool - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - April 30, 2022 Newcastle United's Jonjo Shelvey arrives at the stadium before the match REUTERS/Scott Heppell EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Sky Sports journalist and North East reporter Keith Downie shared the latest injury news for Newcastle United on Monday.
The Lowdown: Unavailable
Jonjo Shelvey was unavailable for the Tynesiders’ 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest at St. James’ Park on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, leaving question marks over the seriousness of his injury.
Luckily, Eddie Howe’s team did not need him in the end, as goals from Fabian Schar and Callum Wilson were enough to earn them all three points and the perfect start to the new campaign.
The Latest: Three months out…
Taking to Twitter 48 hours after the Forest match, Downie shared that Shelvey has had surgery on his hamstring, which he described as a ‘real blow’ for the player and his side:
“Jonjo Shelvey had surgery on his hamstring in London on Saturday, and is set to be out for the next 3 months. On the positive side, the World Cup break will give him a chance for a second “pre-season” in Nov/Dec. A real blow for the player & team, though.”
The Verdict: Worrying
Of course, losing a player of Shelvey’s quality for up to three months will be worrying for Howe and the Toon Army – at 30, it’s tough to know if he’ll even return the same player from a hamstring surgery.
Should Newcastle start Shelvey?
Yes
No
The Englishman was a key player last term, playing in almost every match he was available for under Howe, scoring two goals and supplying one assist (Transfermarkt).
He also captained the side towards the back end of the season, showing his leadership qualities both on and off of the pitch, and so he will not be an easy void to fill in the middle of the park.
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