Newcastle United star suggests he won’t play again this season after ‘massive’ injury blow
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Newcastle United right-back Emil Krafth has not given up hope of playing again this campaign - but will not rush himself back.
The Swede has been sidelined since August after sustaining an ACL injury during the 2-1 second round Carabao Cup win at Tranmere Rovers.
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Hide AdFive months on from that night in Birkenhead, the Magpies have made it all the way to the final and play Manchester United at Wembley on Sunday.
Krafth, meanwhile, has been back on the pitches at the training ground this week undergoing individual cardio work as Eddie Howe prepared the rest of his squad for the club’s first final in 24 years.
After Sunday’s Wembley showpiece, Newcastle have 15 Premier League fixtures left to play, and Krafth has not ruled out a return before the 2022-23 season is over. Krafth did, however, make it clear he won’t rush himself back.
“I don’t want to say that I’m completely out for the rest of the season,” the 28-year-old told Fotbollskanalen. “Maybe I’ll have time to play a game, maybe not. But it’s not the whole world for me if I don’t have time to play, the most important thing is that everything feels good.
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Hide Ad“I want to feel that everything is going as it should, so that there are no setbacks.”
Krafth spent the early part of his rehabilitation in Sweden and was included in the Magpies’ December trip to Saudi Arabia. But he’ll now do the final stages of his recovery on Tyneside.
“Although I have gradually started to be able to do more, I couldn’t do any cardio at all for the first three months, and that was quite difficult,” Krafth added. “It has been a tough period to go through but as I said, now that I have been able to start running again it feels easier. Then you feel that you are getting closer.”
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Hide AdKrafth’s long-term injury had left the Magpies short of back-up to Kieran Trippier. However, following Javier Manquillo’s return to fitness, and the January signing of Harrison Ashby from West Ham, the depth has grown.
Speaking about Krafth’s injury last year, Howe said: “It’s a massive blow for us. Emil has been superb for us on and off the pitch ever since I came to the football club in all sorts of ways, he’s a brilliant guy. We’re all really feeling for him at the moment. It’s an ACL injury, so he’ll be out for a number of months.”
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