Newcastle United have been handed a major boost over the availability of the versatile Matt Ritchie…
What’s the latest?
The Athletic’s Chris Waugh has relayed Eddie Howe’s injury update and stated that the Scottish full-back is set to be back in training for the club “next week”.
Meanwhile, Allan Saint-Maximin is a doubt for today’s clash against Brighton, while Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson remain the two long-term injury absentees for the Magpies.
Speaking about Ritchie’s situation previously, Howe said: “It was a strange injury with Matt. He was just striking a ball and felt something in his knee.
“He’s had a period where he had to back right off and have minimal activity but he’s running again in a straight line and he’s stepping up closer to being back full-time with the group.” Buzzing
The Newcastle manager will surely be buzzing with Ritchie’s return, as the full-back has not played a Premier League match since the defeat to Manchester City in December. His only appearance of 2022 so far came in the 1-0 defeat to Cambridge in the FA Cup in early January and he now looks set to be available for the final stretch of the campaign.
Whilst he may not be a guaranteed starter now that Matt Targett has arrived on loan from Aston Villa, the 32-year-old can still provide value to the squad for the rest of the season. The ex-Bournemouth man has shown that he can play in a multitude of roles across the pitch and Howe will be able to call upon him in a variety of situations which may arise in the coming months.
Ritchie can play at left-back, left wing-back, left-midfield, right-midfield and right-wing. This means that he can slot in if any wide players – in defence or attack – sustain an injury or pick up a suspension, and that makes him a valuable player to have available, even if he is not a starter when everyone is fit.
He played 16 Premier League matches in the first half of the campaign and averaged an unspectacular but solid SofaScore rating of 6.66 for the Magpies. However, the Scot has impressed in the final third, averaging 1.8 key passes per match, and this shows that he has the quality to create chances from left-back, which Howe could be keen to utilise from the substitutes’ bench if Newcastle find themselves chasing a game.
Therefore, the former Bournemouth head coach will be buzzing, as it will be a big boost to have Ritchie back and available for selection from next week onwards. His versatility and his ability on the ball can be useful for the Toon boss and it is better for the 44-year-old to have a wealth of options instead of looking in the treatment room and seeing five or six of his first-team players unable to contribute.
AND in other news, Imagine him & Burn: NUFC must land “complete” tank who has “everything you’d want”…