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Looks like plan / reality always was for ASM, Bruno and Callum Wilson to return in October

2 years ago
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Callum Wilson picked up an injury in the draw with Man City 25 days ago.

Newcastle’s bad luck then continuing when 22 days ago Bruno Guimaraes got injured when coming on for the final five minutes at Tranmere.

Then making it a hat-trick, 18 days ago Allan Saint-Maximin smashes home a brilliant late volleyed equaliser at Wolves, but limps off and is added to the injury list.

Eddie Howe’s response to the injuries at subsequent press conferences, has been to say that he doesn’t think any of the injuries are serious and he is hopeful ASM and Bruno will be back very shortly and Callum Wilson not far behind.

Each press conference the hint has been from the head coach that next match, one or more of the trio would be back, however, the reality has been something different.

Now Eddie Howe has regularly shown that he isn’t shy of keeping cards very close to his chest, so that the opposition isn’t aware of who is and isn’t available, on a regular basis the first time anybody is aware of an injury and a missing key player, is shortly before kick-off. A perfect case in point was the Wolves match, as usual, the journalists completely unaware that Bruno was injured / missing, until he wasn’t spotted getting off the team coach at Molineux.

No doubt somebody somewhere will be claiming that Eddie Howe has some kind of duty to be ‘honest’ with fans at pre-match press conferences and needs to tell us who is injured in advance. That of course is nonsense, any advantage Eddie can get for Newcastle, including keeping the opposition in the dark regarding player availability, is fine by me.

However, I think we now have to accept that it looks like the plan / reality always was for ASM, Bruno and Callum Wilson to not return until October.

I hope I am proved wrong and all three are in the starting line up against Bournemouth on Saturday…but I can’t see it.

Since the trio got injured, none of them have been seen in the official training images that are regularly published by the club.

This has continued right up to yesterday, none of the three seen in Wednesday’s group training ahead of Bournemouth.

Well this could be another elaborate ruse by Eddie Howe, to wrong foot Bournemouth, by asking the club to deliberately leave out the images showing ASM, Bruno and Callum Wilson training. However, I just can’t see it.

I also sadly can’t see any of these three involved on Saturday, if they still weren’t able to train three days before the game.

When I initially heard the injuries were all minor AND that they were hamstring ones, I did think Eddie Howe’s comments about one or more of them being back in only a week or two, were a little unlikely.

Now when you look at the match schedule below, with a two week international break coming up after  Saturday’s match, I definitely would be amazed to see any of this trio starting against Bournemouth.

Eddie Howe has already shown he will very much take the professional longer-term view when it comes to looking after injured / recovering players (unlike certain previous NUFC managers / head coaches…) and having not risked any of the trio these last few weeks. I’m sure that the head coach will be looking to get all three of them absolutely spot on for Fulham in 16 days time.

Assuming that Bruno isn’t involved on Saturday, interesting to see what will happen with the Brazil squad and whether he will still join up with them for their two games in France?

Whilst there is also a small possibility that Callum Wilson could be named in the England squad today for their final get together before the final World Cup squad is named. The same with ASM, his early season form seeing calls in France for his inclusion in the national squad for the first time, Didier Deschamps also names his squad today for their September matches and get together.

Newcastle United match schedule

August 21 – Newcastle 3 Man City 3 (Callum Wilson gets injured)

August 24 – Tranmere 1 Newcastle 2 (Bruno Guimaraes gets injured)

August 28 – Wolves 1 Newcastle 1 (Allan Saint-Maximin gets injured)

September 3 – Newcastle 0 Crystal Palace 0

September 11 – West Ham v Newcastle (postponed)

September 17 – Newcastle v Bournemouth

October 1 – Fulham v Newcastle

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