Newcastle United rocked by injury training ground blow with one star facing West Ham heartbreak
The Magpies go into the final home game of the season knowing they have been forced into one major change
Newcastle United have been hit by a major blow ahead of the clash with West Ham after Joelinton was ruled out of Sunday's end-of-season showdown with the Hammers.
Joelinton had a positive impact in the 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest, but has suffered an injury in training this week. It means that Eddie Howe will have to rejig their midfield engine room with Joe Willock and Jacob Ramsey in contention for a start.
Howe will also be without Fabian Schar and Tino Livramento, who have not made any progress with ankle and groin injuries, respectively. For Schar, it is a heartbreaking situation with the Swiss centre-back still waiting for a new contract offer and his current deal set to expire in June.
Confirming the news that Joelinton is a major doubt, Howe said: "We have a doubt over Joelinton who has a slight thigh problem. We are okay apart from that. Got other lads out, but there is no change to their status."
Livramento was always going to be up against it for the final two games but Howe has admitted that Schar, who had hopes of a return this month, won't play in either the West Ham or Fulham game.
He said: "I don’t think Fabian will make the last two games which is a real shame for him. He was close to returning a few weeks ago, and then he suffered the infection, which set him back. He is back running again and looking healthy, but there is a big difference between that and actually playing."
When asked if he will be in with a shout of a new deal still, Howe said: "Fabian still has a lot to offer on the pitch. We will have discussions with him and his representatives this week."
But Howe had better news on Lewis Hall, who hobbled off against Forest after a couple of blows at the City Ground. The United manager, who will look to give Kieran Trippier his farewell appearance at St James' Park, has cleared the England left-back for Sunday night. He said: "Lewis is fine and has trained this week."
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