Eddie Howe has been handed a boost ahead of Newcastle’s pre-season programme, starting with a trip to Celtic next month.
After a season where injuries piled up and stretched Newcastle United’s squad to its limits, there’s finally some good news coming out of Tyneside. 2024/25 had plenty of setbacks, including long-term blows to Sven Botman and Lewis Miley, with our depth tested from start to finish – and the summer so far hasn’t exactly gone to plan either.
With a frustratingly slow start to the transfer window and no early movement through the door, some fans have been left wondering where the big boost would come from as preparations for pre-season edge closer.
Hopefully signings follow soon, but a timely lift has emerged on the injury front, with a key figure fit again and ready to return heading into the new campaign…
After missing the tail end of last season with a frustrating knee injury, powerhouse midfielder Joelinton is now fully fit and raring to go for pre-season, according to Lee Ryder of The Chronicle.
The £40 million man has been grafting hard over the summer and is set to be joining the squad when our pre-season gets underway in early July, having missed eight of our final 14 games in 2024/25.
The Brazilian enforcer’s return will provide a huge lift as we gear up for what promises to be another massive season for the Toon.
Champions League football will return to St. James’ Park, while we also look to defend our Carabao Cup win from last season. The first stop, though, is a tasty pre-season clash with Celtic at Parkhead on July 19.
After that, the squad will travel to East Asia, where a meeting with Arsenal in Singapore is scheduled, along with a game against Spurs in South Korea before we return to face Atletico Madrid in the Sela Cup.
Just as one key midfielder returns, there’s a bit of disappointment on the youth front. Lewis Miley has been forced to withdraw from England’s U19 squad ahead of this summer’s European Championships as his injury woes continue.
The talented teenager was expected to get valuable minutes under his belt with the national side, but picked up a knock before the competition began. Reports suggest it’s not thought to be serious, but after the injury chaos we endured last season, it’s a reminder of our worrying lack of depth should Sean Longstaff or Joe Willock depart.
Joelinton coming back into the mix takes a bit of pressure off the midfield situation, but we must be careful with how we manage minutes to avoid our season being derailed by fitness issues.
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