Despite hobbling off in Newcastle United’s midweek win over PSV Eindhoven, Bruno Guimaraes (ankle) could yet make Sunday’s game against Aston Villa.
- READ MORE: Press conferences for Gameweek 23
“We hope it’s not serious. The extent of the injury is still unknown but he was reasonably positive after the game. He is the guy that will never rule anything out, so we’ll give him every chance for this weekend. Let’s wait and see.
“We’ll always try and make the right decisions, as we do with every player, depending on need and circumstances, to protect them long term but also to help the team if they need to play. We’ll try and get that right with Bruno. He is a pivotal player, I’ve always said he’s been the match-winner for us so many times over the years. He’s an inspirational figure, so we need him, but of course, we need him fit and available and able to perform to his best levels. So, we’ll try and make all the calculations and come up with the right decision.
“We’ll try and figure out all avenues if he isn’t available but we hope he can make it.” – Eddie Howe on Bruno Guimaraes
Speaking at Friday’s press conference, Eddie Howe added that Dan Burn (rib) could be involved. He and Will Osula (ankle) returned to training this week after medium-term lay-offs.
“Possibly. I think with Dan, as you saw around the Champions League game, he is out [training] with the players. Today, possibly the first day where he’s training fully with the group, taking contact. That’ll be the key thing for him. I think he’s desperate to get back involved, so that’s a great sign.” – Eddie Howe on whether Dan Burn could feature
Meanwhile, Fabian Schar (ankle), Jacob Murphy (hamstring), Emil Krafth (knee) and Tino Livramento (hamstring) all remain sidelined.
