Key Newcastle United player absent in training ground update after injury blow
Jonathan Gorrie
3 – 4 minutes
Newcastle United need to get back to winning ways when Ipswich come to town on Saturday afternoon.
The Premier League will be afforded five spots for Champions League qualification next season but that hasn’t made life much easier for Newcastle United.
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This season’s Premier League table is congested and the fact Newcastle lost 4-1 at Aston Villa last time out was a setback.
Still, if Eddie Howe’s side can claim three points at home to the Tractor Boys, confidence will be high again. Failing to beat them, however, could derail their attempts to return to the top tier of European football.
Newcastle will of course be strong favourites against Ipswich but their defensive options are light.
Sadly, it seems Fabian Schar remains a doubt at this stage.
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Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Fabian Schar absent from Newcastle United training pictures
Schar suffered a hamstring injury against Villa, coming off towards the closing stages of the game having earlier scored.
In all honesty, Schar struggled against Villa even before his injury but few can doubt just what an important player he is to the cause, particularly given Sven Botman’s injury issues.
On Wednesday, the Newcastle United official website posted images of some of the squad in action.
Concerningly, Schar was not seen in those images from the Newcastle United training ground.
Clearly, that does not mean he’s guaranteed to miss the game or that he hasn’t trained but his absence in the photos is notable given the issue he sustained at Villa Park.
Newcastle United could be forced into doing something they’ve not done in months against Ipswich
Botman has confirmed he’s close to a return for Newcastle but it remains to be seen if he’s rushed back into action.
While seemingly a possibility after Jason Tindall confirmed Botman would be available “very soon”, it does not feel like the ideal situation to be in.
With that in mind, it makes sense that Emil Krafth is seen as the most likely player to replace Schar if he cannot make the Ipswich game.
The Sweden international has always been reliable when called upon during the Howe era but last started a Premier League game way back in September.
If selected, Krafth needs to ensure he slots in seamlessly.
