Big boost: Newcastle handed fresh huge injury lift that'll leave Howe delighted - opinion

Newcastle United have been handed a huge injury boost over midfielder Jonjo Shelvey

Magpies boss Eddie Howe has revealed that the 30-year-old is available after recovering from an illness and will be able to face Tottenham on Sunday.

Shelvey has not played for the Toon since the 2-1 win over Southampton at St Mary’s in the Premier League on 10 March, missing the subsequent defeats to Chelsea and Everton.

The Athletic’s Chris Waugh tweeted this update: ‘Howe: “Midfield has been a key area for us. We’ve had a really good mixture of technical & physical quality. If we decide to play with three, I need to pick which three & it’s a difficult choice but nice one to have.” Jonjo Shelvey is also fit to play after illness.’

This update will surely leave Howe delighted, as having Shelvey back fit and available will be a big boost to his team heading into the clash with Spurs.

The ex-Liverpool metronome is unbeaten in his last nine Premier League appearances, having been absent for the last two losses, and will be hoping to make it into double digits this weekend. He has been a key player for the Magpies this season and having him back in the middle of the park will improve their chances of picking up a result, as he has been one of the club’s top performers.

Allan Saint-Maximin (6.96) is the only Newcastle player, excluding January signings, who has averaged a higher SofaScore rating than Shelvey (6.91) this term. This shows that the Englishman has been excellent for the majority of the campaign as he has stepped up under Howe and made himself a go-to option in the middle of the park.

He has chipped in with two goals and one assist from midfield, whilst averaging 0.7 key passes and 1.8 tackles and interceptions per game. Shelvey