The Shields Gazette have spoken to injury expert Ben Dinnery, who believes that Kieran Trippier may not play for Newcastle again this season following his foot surgery.

The Lowdown: Trippier at Newcastle

Trippier has been a revelation since signing from Atletico Madrid in January, bagging phenomenal free-kick goals in back-to-back games for the Magpies, helping lift Eddie Howe’s side out of the bottom three and four points clear of relegation.

As we know, the club confirmed a fracture to the fifth metatarsal bone on his left foot this week, bringing the good vibes on Tyneside to a screeching halt.

Initial reports had offered hope to the Toon Army though, suggesting that the England international will return before the end of the campaign, but Dinnery has now delivered his own update on the surgery.

The Latest: "Touch and go" to play this season

Miles Starforth of the Gazette revealed he ‘spoke to’ Dinnery, a Newcastle fan who runs the Premier Injuries website, this week, sharing the comments in his article.

“When the fifth metatarsal is involved, to quicken the healing process there’s normally some kind of fixation through surgery.

“It’s typically two to three months, though there are examples of players returning quicker. The average is 80 days. It depends on how bad it is. With Trippier, it looks touch and go for the end of the season.”

The Verdict: Huge blow for Howe

This is a massive worry for Howe, especially considering Newcastle World are now reporting that Javier Manquillo will also be out for the next two weeks.

This means that Emil Krafth will likely have to fill in on the right side of defence for crucial games against West Ham, Brentford and possibly Brighton, and the Sweden international has done little to instil any confidence, drawing much criticism this season from fans and media alike.

As far as Trippier is concerned, Dinnery’s ‘touch and go’ update on the surgery will make it an enormous risk to throw him into the action before the end of this campaign.

The free-kick master is in contract until 2024, so rushing him back and risking a reoccurrence that could spread into the next campaign makes little sense. It seems Sunday’s heroics against Aston Villa may be the last we see of Trippier this season.

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