Newcastle United defender closing in on injury return after eight-word update liked by Kieran Trippier

Newcastle United defender Harrison Ashby, on loan at Swansea City, is edging closer to returning from injury after almost a month out.

The 22-year-old missed 10 games between late November and early January because of a hamstring issue, which saw him return to Tyneside for treatment.

Ashby was back in action against Southampton, Leicester City and AFC Bournemouth last month before suffering another muscular problem. He last featured on January 30 but has teased his comeback.

Posting on Instagram, the right-back uploaded a photo of him running with the caption "sun is shining and back on the pitch". The post was liked by Magpies duo Kieran Trippier and Emil Krafth.

Newcastle signed Ashby from West Ham United in January 2022 and he was tipped as a long-term replacement for Trippier, but that may have changed with Tino Livramento's £32million arrival last summer summer. Emil Krafth also signed a contract extension until 2025 last week.

Ashby is yet to make a competitive appearance for United but did feature in pre-season. He scored in the 2-1 win at Rangers before featuring at the Premier League Summer Series against Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion. His future will be reassessed when he returns from Wales this summer.