Big blow: Newcastle receive negative injury news, Howe will be absolutely gutted - opinion

With Newcastle United currently in fine form after making it five wins in six with a 2-1 success against Brighton on Saturday, it’s easy to forget that Eddie Howe is still without arguably his side’s most lethal goal threat.

Callum Wilson has been absent since late December after suffering a calf injury and, following Howe’s latest update on the Englishman, it doesn’t seem as though the striker will be back anytime soon.

Ahead of Saturday’s win over the Seagulls, Howe revealed that not much had changed with the 30-year-old’s predicament. “Callum is as we were, really,” said the Newcastle head coach. “He’s working towards returning. He’s working hard on certain aspects. He’s not running yet. We haven’t seen him outside yet.”

The fact that the forward is still yet to start running, let alone returning to the grass will certainly be a concern for the Toon Army who look set for a strong conclusion to the campaign after spending the majority of the season battling relegation.

United are sat in 14th and are a comfortable seven points above the relegation zone with 12 league matches left to play. On the whole, the North-East outfit look comfortable, however, they will still be desperate to have their best goalscorer available as soon as possible.

Having worked with each other for such a long spell at Bournemouth, the reunion of Howe and Wilson will have certainly pleased both parties as well as the Newcastle fans, with the head coach knowing exactly how to get the best out of the striker.

Since making the move up to Tyneside in 2020, the 30-year-old has continued to impress in the top-flight, scoring 12 goals and registering five assists in 26 league appearances last season, as well as six goals in 15 games this term.

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