Newcastle United injury U-turn as star ruled out with issue 'more serious than initially thought'

Newcastle United remain without Matt Targett for the foreseeable future with the left-back troubled by an Achilles issue.

The 28-year-old previously spent four months out with the hamstring injury he sustained during the 3-0 Carabao Cup win at Manchester United in November.

After recovering from surgery, Targett returned to the matchday squad for fixtures against Chelsea and Manchester City early on in March but hasn’t made been involved since the international break.

When asked about Targett’s absence after the 4-3 comeback win over West Ham United, United boss Eddie Howe said: "Not a big problem, he's got a little bit of tendonitis in his Achilles. We envisage he should be back very soon."

Targett has also missed matches versus Everton and Fulham, and when asked for an update, Howe revealed the injury is worse than first thought.

Howe told NewcastleWorld: “Matt’s problem has turned out to be a bit more serious than we perhaps initially thought. It’s an Achilles problem, so let’s wait and see on that.”

With Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles recently ruled out with ACL injuries, requiring Dan Burn to move back into the centre of defence, a place had opened up at left-back. But with Targett unavailable, the opportunity has gone to Lewis Hall.

Frustratingly for Targett, he has started just seven Premier League matches since joining permanently from Aston Villa for £15million in the summer of 2022. In the previous four months when he was on loan, the full-back started 16 games.