Newcastle: Eddie Howe could now unleash £34.2m duo at St James' Park

Newcastle United pair Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson are both likely to be handed starting opportunities before the end of the season, according to Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie.

The experienced duo have both had lengthy spells on the sidelines, but have recently returned to Eddie Howe’s matchday squad.

Trippier scored in back-to-back games against Everton and Aston Villa in February to announce himself to the St James’ Park faithful, but he hobbled off injured in the second half of the latter game.

It was subsequently revealed that he had broken a bone in his foot, which kept him out for three months, before he finally made his comeback from the bench against Manchester City on last Sunday.

Meanwhile, Wilson picked up his own fitness issue in Newcastle’s final game of 2021 when he went down with a calf injury.

He was ruled out for over four months, but, like Trippier, he also got some minutes under his belt as a substitute against City at the Etihad Stadium.

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Newcastle are now guaranteed to be in the top-flight next season following Leeds’ defeat against Chelsea on Wednesday.

Therefore, Howe does not necessarily have to play Trippier and Wilson as the Magpies don’t have a lot on the line, but Downie still expects the Newcastle boss to start the pair before the season concludes due to how hard they have worked to get back into the squad.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “It’s probably not worth risking them. However, these players have worked really hard to get to where they are, and they’ve really, really pushed themselves to get back because they’ve set their own targets in mind. And I think their targets were to get back within the last 3/4 matches of