Newcastle United man won’t play again in 2022-23 — hopes to be back for the start of pre-season

Newcastle United hope to have Emil Krafth back available for the first day of pre-season as he continues his recovery from an ACL injury.

It’s around nine months since the Swede sustained the injury in a Carabao Cup tie at Tranmere Rovers. And, as anticipated, it’s been a long road back.

During the early stages of his recovery, Krafth returned to his homeland before travelling with his teammates for the mid-season trip to Saudi Arabia in December.

The 28-year-old also visited Dubai with Eddie Howe’s squad in March and has since been back at the club’s Benton training base working on his rehabilitation.

There was an outside chance Krafth could return to training before the 2022-23 campaign is over but Howe has confirmed that won’t happen.

Howe is reluctant to say Krafth has suffered any setbacks but admits the right-back has been held back a “week or two”.

“Emil’s been working incredibly hard. He’s very diligent, very professional,” the Magpies’ head coach explained. “I think, naturally, when you have the tough injury that he’s had, he’s had a couple of little … I wouldn’t say setbacks, but little ‘moments’ which have just meant he’s had to hold back for a week or two.

“At the moment, he’s got a little bit of nerve trouble in his back. Nothing’s changed with his timescale. We were always looking to next season for Emil. We hope he can join in pre-season from day one. But he’s still got a bit of a way to go to make sure he’s in the best physical condition.”

Krafth’s form at the end of last season, where he deputised for the injured Kieran Trippier, earned him a two-year contract in the summer. The full-back made just one appearance before his injury devastation.

Speaking last month Krafth told nufc.co.uk: “Of course, it has been up and down. It was really hard at the beginning to accept that you were going to be out for such a long time. As soon as it happened, I was devastated for a few days and I didn’t know where to go.

“An injury is never great timing but, for me, I was playing a lot from January until the summer. The team were doing really well and I’d say it was the best form of my career so far. I felt I had a good pre-season and had also extended my contract with the club.”

“It was my first big injury so I didn’t know how to handle it,” he said. “It was a long time waiting for surgery and I just wanted to have it done so that was a long two weeks, waiting for the swelling to go down on my knee and settling it before having surgery.

“As a player, you always want to be involved in the games so that’s hard. It was hard at the start but, now, you kind of accept it a little bit more that you’ll be out for a while.

“I can’t wait to get back in the team. That’s the biggest target. I’m not setting a specific date when I’ll be back but I’m determined to get back and fight for my place again.”

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