Newcastle cemented their position in the top four with a win over Southampton on Sunday. Credit: AP/Jon Super
Newcastle United will get a huge boost ahead of Arsenal's title chase next weekend with the return of Allan Saint-Maximin and Sean Longstaff to give manager Eddie Howe a full squad to choose from.
There were many. worries that two key players could miss the rest of the season due to injury, but Telegraph Sport can report that both will be able to fully train ahead of the Arsenal game.Saint-Maximin ruled out for a month with a hamstring injury tendon, while Longstaff was sent for scans and X-rays last week, as it was feared that he had broken a bone in his leg.
Losing both to a docking would be a huge blow, especially in midfield, where Longstaff was sorely missed in the recent 3-0 loss to Aston Villa, as well as in the win over Southampton on Sunday.
< p>The 25-year-old's energy and positional sense give Howe's team a much better balance in midfield, while Saint-Maximin's ability to open up defenses, combined with his unpredictability, gives Newcastle an additional offensive weapon.
With Anthony Gordon still having a hard time getting comfortable with how Newcastle need their wingers, Saint-Maximin, who played his best football of the season when he injured his hamstring against West Ham in early April. – will add a new dimension to the team whether he comes on as a substitute or off the bench.
Newcastle have been relentless in their pursuit of a top-four finish since mid-March, winning eight of their last nine games. , but the pressure is mounting: Liverpool play twice before Eddie Howe's side take on Arsenal.
If Liverpool score maximum points in their two home games against Fulham and Brentford they will be only three points behind Newcastle by the time they next play at St James's. in the table. Park.
Newcastle likely need seven more points in their remaining five games to guarantee a top-four finish, but will also face high-flying Brighton at home as well as relegation-threatened Leicester City. It comes after a trip to equally desperate Leeds United before Howe made his way to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea on the final day of the season. Champions League and they are wary of a rejuvenated Liverpool. However, the results of the weekend mean that the Magpies are almost certain that next season they will reach the top seven and bring diversity to European football.
Meanwhile, Newcastle have no intention of reviving interest in the French prodigy Hugo Ekitike after the player turned down a move to Tyneside last summer to sign with Paris Saint-Germain instead.
20-year-old Ekitike has struggled for playing time in Paris and, is believed to want to leave the club at the end of the season.
However, Newcastle have since signed Alexandre Isak from Real Sociedad and were unimpressed with Ekitike's behavior after they negotiated a fee with his French Reims club in July last year. .
Despite the fact that the deal was agreed verbally, the player's representatives delayed the completion of the deal in order to negotiate a move to PSG instead.
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