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Confusion reigns after official Newcastle United training update

2 years ago
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Today (Wednesday 19 January), the club released a training gallery featuring the Newcastle United players.

The images released, showing Newcastle United players training ahead of Saturday’s match against Leeds.

A bit of insight…potentially, into who may and may not be available for this closest Premier League away trip of the season.

Amongst the text that went with Wednesday’s photo gallery, Newcastle United included:

‘Dwight Gayle – who scored both goals when the Magpies won 2-0 at Elland Road in November 2016 – has been back in training this week, while Paul Dummett, fresh from his first appearance of the season last time out, and Jamal Lewis have also continued to work hard at the club’s Benton base.

Teenager Joe White is hoping to be involved against the side his grandfather, Peter Hampton, played for in the 1970s, while he was joined by a number of fellow youngsters on Wednesday – including Peruvian playmaker Rodrigo Vilca, back from a loan spell at Doncaster Rovers, and Santiago Muñoz, whose first few months on Tyneside were affected by injury.’

The photos published by Newcastle United on Wednesday afternoon featured the following 19 first team players from what we could see:

Miguel Almiron, Elliot Anderson, Paul Dummett, Ryan Fraser, Dwight Gayle, Mark Gillespie, Joelinton, Emil Krafth, Jamaal Lascelles, Jamal Lewis, Matty Longstaff, Sean Longstaff, Javier Manquillo, Jacob Murphy, Allan Saint-Maximin, Fabian Schar, Jonjo Shelvey, Joe Willock

Then you had Santiago Munoz, Rodrigo Vilca and Joe White amongst what appeared to be at least nine (we counted) Under 23 players.

As for the Newcastle United players that we couldn’t see amongst all 58 photos in the official NUFC photo gallery were:

Karl Darlow, Ciaran Clark, Martin Dubravka, Federico Fernandez, Isaac Hayden, Callum Wilson, Freddie Woodman, Jeff Hendrick, Matt Ritchie, Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood.

Not spotting players amongst the images the club release from training, doesn’t automatically mean any particular missing individual will be definitely missing from the next match.

However…confusion reigns after this official Newcastle United training update.

The text from the club to go with the photos, mentions the additional presence at first team training of a number of Under 23 players, at least nine from what we could see.

Yet there is no reason given as to why they are there.

However, with so many of the first team squad not to be seen, it would appear that at least in part, the Under 23s were there to make up the numbers.

Which then raises the question of why so many first team squad players were seemingly missing from training AND whether there is an innocent (not threatening their participation in the Leeds match) explanation?

Isaac Hayden and Callum Wilson are ruled out for a couple of months, so they were never going to be at training.

Whilst Ciaran Clark and Federico Fernandez have also been missing for a while now.

Mark Gillespie was the only first team squad goalkeeper seen in today’s training shots, though that was the same last week and yet both Martin Dubravka and Karl Darlow were named in the matchday squad against Watford. The goalkeepers can be at times off doing their own specialised training with the goalkeeping coach, so very likely there could be a simple explanation for their absence from the photos.

Now though we get to the sharp end of things, both Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood missing from the photos today, plus Matt Ritchie and Jeff Hendrick also nowhere to be seen.

As I say above, not seeing certain players amongst the Newcastle United training shots is never a guarantee of anything.

However, it is a worry that so many NUFC first team players can’t be seen, especially the two new signings.

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