Injury concern forces Newcastle United midfielder to visit specialist

Newcastle United youngster Lucas De Bolle has visited a specialist following a three-month battle with a concussion.

The 20-year-old joined Scottish Championship side Hamilton Academical on loan on transfer deadline day whilst recovering from the issue that was sustained during an under-21s match.

De Bolle made his Accies debut against Queen’s Park in mid-September but hasn’t featured since after experiencing a recurrence of blurred vision and other symptoms.

Just when the midfielder looked to be closing in a return last month, the problem persisted and the decision was taken to refer De Bolle to a specialist last week.

De Bolle underwent an MRI scan and according to Hamilton boss John Rankin that came back clear, increasing hopes that the Scotland youth international will be back available “very soon”.

“Lucas got an MRI scan on Tuesday,” Rankin told the Daily Record. “It is something with his vestibula system and the ear sending messages to the brain. That is the explanation I have.

“He is a lot more comfortable with that now than he was before. Hopefully he is not too far away. He had to go to London to get the MRI and see a physio who specialises in this sort of thing.

“As far as we are aware Lucas’ scan was clear and he was back at Newcastle on Wednesday morning. So, hopefully, he can progress from there and be back involved very soon. He’s not trained in a while so he will still be a wee bit away in terms of fitness.”