Newcastle United are sweating on the fitness of Jacob Murphy following a hamstring scare during their 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, just as key defenders return to the squad.
Newcastle United secured a vital 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday, moving up to ninth in the Premier League table.
Goals from Bruno Guimarães and Malick Thiaw sealed back-to-back wins, but the triumph was tempered by a late injury concern for Jacob Murphy.
The winger was forced off in the 88th minute with a suspected hamstring issue, leaving head coach Eddie Howe to wait on medical assessments ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Leeds United.
The injury news comes just as Newcastle’s defensive crisis begins to ease.
Tino Livramento, Kieran Trippier, and Sven Botman all returned to the matchday squad against Palace, providing a timely boost to Howe’s “full artillery” during a congested January schedule.
Discussing the returns, Howe noted, “Now they’ve had one or two days training… so we’ve got to be careful with them and manage them correctly. But we’ve really, really missed them.”
While Murphy’s status remains uncertain, there was positive news regarding £55 million striker Yoane Wissa, who came through the match unscathed.
Howe confirmed, “I think he’s fine… Jacob was just feeling a bit of awareness of his hamstring so we need to check it.”
The Magpies are hopeful that Anthony Elanga may also return for the Leeds fixture, as the Swedish international is nearing a comeback after missing the last three matches.