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| Joe Willock of Newcastle United battles for possession with Alex Iwobi of Fulham during the Premier League match between Fulham FC and Newcastle United at Craven Cottage on April 06, 2024 in London, England. |
Newcastle United midfielder Joe Willock is a major doubt for Saturday’s Premier League clash at home to Tottenham Hotspur (kick-off 12:30pm).
After coming on as a substitute during the midweek draw against Everton, Willock was recalled to the starting XI for yesterday’s 1-0 win at Fulham. However, the former Arsenal man lasted just 40 minutes at Craven Cottage due to an ongoing Achilles problem.
Willock has twice sustained the same injury this campaign and only recently returned from three months out. He could now be set for another spell on the sidelines.
“Joe is still feeling his Achilles,” Howe told NewcastleWorld. “He’s been feeling this problem for a long time. We hoped that he would steadily improve but today was a down day where he didn’t look right and wasn’t able to continue. He wasn’t particularly in huge pain but it was enough to mean he wasn’t at his very best.
“When we made the change with Elliot [Anderson] coming on, I thought he did very well and the subs that came on late did very well to get us over the line and it was a huge performance from the players.”
In Willock’s potential absence, Elliot Anderson, who himself only recently returned from four months out with a back problem, would come into the starting line-up.
“He’s an outstanding player,” said Howe.. “He’s improving all the time. This was, I think, going to be a big season for him. Unfortunately, he picked up an injury which stopped his momentum – he had a brilliant pre-season.
“We really rate him, and we feel there is so much more to come. But he is certainly growing into that position and starting to look really assured.”
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