Newcastle United will be without Joe Willock until after the first international break.
Willock, 23, has had discomfort in his hamstring following his serious injury which ruled him out of the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
Newcastle have therefore elected to allow the midfielder to recover until the first international break, which begins on September 4.
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“Joe worked hard through the summer,” head coach Eddie Howe said. “He’s had a really bad hamstring injury. It was a serious injury to his hamstring, he missed the back end of last season and then through pre-season was working back.
“He has just felt a little bit of discomfort in his hamstring, not necessarily another pull to the area, just some discomfort, so we’ve had to lock him down again and he’s in the process now of building himself back up. We will probably miss him for the first group of games before the first international break.”
Willock was a key part of Howe’s side last season, featuring in all but one of their Premier League games until his injury in May. The former Arsenal man contributed three goals and six assists in his 35 league appearances.
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It says much about the new-found strength of Howe’s squad that Willock’s absence feels more like a disappointment and less like a savage blow.
After a summer which has brought Elliot Anderson to prominence, seen Sandro Tonali arrive and given valuable (and deserved) game time to Lewis Miley, Newcastle’s teenage prodigy, midfield is an area of great depth.
Willock’s box-to-box energy and eye for goal will be missed, but with Sean Longstaff, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes as further options, Howe has plenty of players to call upon. When Willock does return, it will feel like a big boost.
(Photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
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