Newcastle United star 'closest' to return ahead of Chelsea - and it's not Lewis Hall
Newcastle United could welcome back two players from injury for their Premier League clash against Chelsea.
Lewis Hall isn’t the only Newcastle United player close to a return ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash at home to Chelsea (kick-off 12:30pm).
The Magpies had just three senior defenders available for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final victory over Fulham before suffering another blow in the closing stages of the game.
Eddie Howe’s side, already without Hall, Kieran Trippier, Emil Krafth, Sven Botman, Dan Burn and Jamaal Lascelles, saw Tino Livramento withdraw with a knee injury in the 74th minute.
Newcastle United issue Tino Livramento injury update
And following further assessment, Livramento, whose knee was heavily strapped and iced up at full-time, will be sidelined for the next few weeks at least.
Speaking at his pre-Chelsea press conference, Howe said: “I don't think it's a serious injury. The complication we have is that I think Tino has injured that knee before in a very similar area.
“So that always makes the potential recovery time a little bit longer. I don't think we'll see him possibly before 2026.
“I think it's like any player. When you suffer an injury to the same area twice, that always adds a layer of complication to it. I think it's a minor injury, but it will keep him out for probably a few weeks.”
Newcastle United hope for Lewis Hall boost v Chelsea
Newcastle ended the Fulham game with just two senior defenders - Malick Thiaw & Fabian Schar - on the pitch with midfielder Lewis Miley at right-back and 21-year-old Alex Murphy at left-back.
Only Hall could return this weekend with Trippier and Krafth out until in and around the New Year, while Burn is out for the next four to six weeks. When Botman and Lascelles are due back is unclear at the moment.
“Yeah, he could be [available v Chelsea],” Howe said on Hall. “He felt some fatigue in his hamstring after the Sunderland game. It wasn't evident in the game, it was more the couple of days afterwards. So he had a scan, the scan didn't reveal too much. So let's see.”
Another Newcastle United player could return v Chelsea
Outside of the defence and Newcastle have two other players unavailable, though one of those could return against Chelsea.
Goalkeeper Nick Pope hasn’t featured for United since his mistake in the Champions League defeat in Marseille after picking up a thigh injury in training a couple of days later.
On-loan goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has started the last six matches. He is expected to keep his place against Chelsea but could see Pope return to the bench.
Howe told NewcastleWorld: “He's probably the closest of all the players. He's doing well, he's back on the grass, he's training, diving, kicking. Whether he makes this game, I'm not sure.”