Joe Willock - what his return means for Newcastle United and Steve Bruce’s midfield

Is Willock likely to start?

Steve Bruce will reveal more about the fitness and match readiness of midfielder Willock at his pre-Aston Villa press conference this morning.

Willock got just 48 minutes on the pitch under his belt in pre-season, with Mikel Arteta clearly edging the player towards the Gunners' exit door.

Twenty eight minutes at Ibrox in a 2-2 draw in July was followed up with the final 20 minutes in a friendly against Chelsea on August 1.

So, with all that in mind, fitness will clearly be an issue at the forefront of Bruce's midfield planning.

However, with United's midfield losing key battles in the second half against West Ham United at St James' Park, it would probably be more of a surprise to see Willock not involved in some capacity.

Where does Willock fit into United's midfield?

This Newcastle formation is absolutely perfectly suited to Willock's style of play.

The player was always a poor fit for Arsenal's 4-2-3-1, with neither an out-and-out No.10 slot, or a role as a deep-lying holding midfielder best suited to his talents.

Willock is a midfielder who carries the ball from deep, but is not sitter. He is a goalscorer but not a forward. Willock is as close to a No.8 as you'll get - and his rapid breaks, closing down and ball recoveries high up the pitch are as valuable as his goals, of which he scored eight in black and white last season.

The Magpies, in their current 5-3-2 guise, play with two No.8s - and moving forward, Willock is likely to occupy one of those slots, with either Miguel Almiron or Ryan Fraser.

Who will drop out, if Willock is selected?

Most fans have been calling for Jonjo Shelvey to be sacrificed - and injury means he will miss out. That will probably see Isaac Hayden moved across from the right.

Had injury not intervened though, it was certainly more likely Hayden would drop out due to Shelvey’s passing importance - and therefore Willock would slot into his natural role on the right of the midfield three, adding legs and pace to the unit.

What Willock has said about his United return...

“It was a big step for me in my career to leave my boyhood club and move away from my comfort zone,” he told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"The Newcastle fans, team and manager made it easier to make the decision.

"The love I have for Newcastle is immense, so it made the decision very easy for me towards the end.

"I had the option to stay (at Arsenal) or look at other avenues to better my career and I choose the second option.

"Coming back to Newcastle was always at the top of my list.

“When I decided to leave Arsenal, there was only one place I was going to go and it was going to be Newcastle.”