Soccer Football - Premier League - Leicester City v Newcastle United - King Power Stadium, Leicester, Britain - December 26, 2022 Leicester City's Youri Tielemans in action with Newcastle United's Joe Willock REUTERS/Molly Darlington 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.
Journalist Jordan Cronin believes that Joe Willock will recover in time to play for Newcastle United at Wembley this weekend.
The Lowdown: Selection headache for Howe
After a few weeks of Eddie Howe’s starting lineup almost picking itself due to injuries and suspensions, the Toon boss will now seemingly have an abundance of options to pick from in certain positions.
Apart from Nick Pope, who is suspended for the match, Howe will have almost all of his first-team players fit and ready, with the likes of Matt Targett, Willock and Bruno Guimaraes all looking to be in contention for the matchday squad.
That will be huge for Howe to know he has options and gamechangers to come off the bench if required on Sunday, although it will also lead to some tough conversations for the ones left out.
The Latest: Willock to return
It was a huge moment when Willock limped off against Bournemouth two weeks ago with a hamstring injury, but Cronin has claimed on the Loaded Mag YouTube channel that the midfielder, who missed the loss to Liverpool, could now be fit to start in the Carabao Cup final.
He said: “The system and the players that have served Newcastle so well this season is Joelinton being on that left-hand side linking up with Willock because it just gives them that defensive solidity.
“So that’s what I think they need to do. I don’t know if Willock will be fit, I think going off Eddie Howe’s comments last week, I’m presuming he probably will be, because he made a point to say that it [his hamstring] wasn’t as bad as what he first thought.”
The Verdict: Starting Willock would be sensible
While Allan Saint-Maximin picked up the Player of the Match award against Liverpool at the weekend for his stunning performance, Newcastle will need to be solid defensively – so dropping the electric winger for Willock could be the smart thing to do.
As alluded to by Cronin, Howe had claimed that Willock’s injury was a ‘minor complaint’ and that he had a ‘chance’ of being fit for this weekend.
If Howe was to bring Willock straight back into the starting XI, it would see him play alongside the likes of Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes and Sean Longstaff, who were part of the Magpies’ superb performances in the first half of the season.
Meanwhile, having someone such as Saint-Maximin to come onto the huge Wembley pitch on such a big occasion – at a time when he’s also playing for a new contract – could be something that excites Newcastle fans and terrifies Manchester United defenders.
About the Author
