Newcastle United double injury blow forces Eddie Howe to consider surprise emergency option
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe is considering a surprise back-up to Tino Livramento.
Newcastle United remain without Kieran Trippier and Emil Krafth for Saturday’s Premier League clash away to Everton.
Trippier (hamstring) and Krafth (knee) have sat out of the last two matches against Manchester City and Marseille.
While Trippier stayed at home, Krafth travelled to the South of France and despite training on Monday was left out of the matchday squad as the Magpies lost 2-1 at the Stade Velodrome.
Newcastle United without right-back duo v Everton
And ahead of the visit to Merseyside tomorrow, Eddie Howe has confirmed both players are set to miss the game. Trippier is expected to miss a month, though Krafth’s injury is less serious.
Howe said: “Yeah, he [Kieran Trippier] had a scan on his hamstring. We think it's roughly around a month, give or take. That's the diagnosis. Fingers crossed we can get him back quickly.
“He [Emil Krafth] came back from international duty with a knee issue. I don't think it's anything too serious. He's had a scan, which came back pretty good, so, yeah, whether he's fit for this game is probably too soon for him.”
Newcastle United consider emergency right-back option
That leaves Tino Livramento as the only fit recognised right-back, though Howe is considering a surprise back-up option ahead of the hectic fixture schedule.
Lewis Miley came on at right-back in place of Livramento against Marseille, and Howe has admitted it could be something he tries again.
Howe said: “Yeah, possibly. I think I've always had my eye on Louis potentially being able to play that role. It's a difficult one because we haven't seen him play it a lot.
“It's not something we necessarily look to do in training because I don't want to take away from his development as a centre midfielder. But in that moment we felt that it was a risk worth taking. We were chasing the game, and we know his qualities on the ball. I mean that's undoubted.
“He can play the role easily from a technical viewpoint and from an attacking viewpoint. He's a very good crosser of a ball. It was the defending aspect always when you're playing a new position but he actually dealt with that really well in his position. It was excellent.
“I think he's just an intelligent footballer with a very good brain. He played some wonderful passes on the pitch in that position and certainly helped us in the latter stages. So it could be something I look at again.”