Huge blow: Eddie Howe suffers "serious setback" that will leave Newcastle fans gutted - opinion

Newcastle United have been handed a bleak injury update on Kieran Trippier and his chances of potentially returning before the end of the Premier League season…

The full-back underwent an operation on his broken foot after picking up a metatarsal injury in a 1-0 win over Aston Villa earlier this calendar year, and now, injury expert, Ben Dinnery, has cast serious doubt about him returning this season.

He said: “We need to understand that this is a serious setback. Yes, he went under the knife early and the surgery went well. That’s all true. But it doesn’t matter about the advances in technology, we’re still looking at an eight to 10-week period before the bone begins to heal.

“Typically, the data indicates that the return date is between 80 and 85 days. There are very few instances in which players return in a 70-day period. That shows that we’re looking at the higher end of the return-to-play timeline. By then, we’ll be approaching May.”

After signing from Atletico Madrid in the January transfer window, Trippier quickly set about leading the Magpies away from the relegation zone and dragging them to some much-needed, morale-boosting victories.

His trademark free-kicks have already made him a cult hero at St James’ Park, and journalist Pete O’Rourke recently admitted that being without the England international for a significant amount of time would be a major blow for the Magpies.

He said: “I think it would be a big blow to Eddie Howe. Trippier has come and really slotted straight into the team. He has been a big improvement on what they’ve got.”

One man who’s a big fan of the 31-year-old is Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate himself, who has said previously: “He (Trippier) is a very underrated player. People are still