Two more injuries were suffered by Newcastle United during their 1-0 victory over Arsenal at St. James’ Park on Saturday night.
Arsenal suffered their first league loss of the season as Newcastle extended their winning streak to seven Premier League games with the game’s lone goal coming from Anthony Gordon.
Due to injuries, The Magpies had to substitute Dan Burn and Jacob Murphy during the game. Burn was taken off the field at halftime due to an awkward fall on his back, while Murphy was a surprising addition to the bench due to a dislocated shoulder. However, as soon as Murphy played, it appeared that he had another dislocation, which will now require surgery.
“Hard game,” Howe acknowledged in the aftermath. “Great victory, many thanks to the players for their valiant effort today.
“Both teams were good, but perhaps not in the ways we are both aware of. It was a physical midfield scrap with lots of duels, and fortunately, we prevailed.”
“We’re overextended with injuries and have once more lost players to injuries sustained during play. Two that are beyond our control. We should be concerned since Dan jumps for the ball, lands on his back, and appears to be in significant discomfort.
We’ll have to wait and see how Dan’s ailment holds up. He offers us so much in a variety of ways that we would hate to lose him.
Murphy will now have to sit out a lengthy period of time while he gets ready for shoulder surgery.
Furthermore, Howe acknowledged that it was risky to activate the winger just ten days after he suffered a dislocated shoulder in the team’s 1-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund.
Howe continued, “We knew there was a chance Jacob could do his shoulder again, but he was willing to take the chance.”
It’s a tough moment because we lost him to surgery, but the players handled it really well.
“With Jacob, we had a number of conversations with the medical staff. We believed that returning him to the field would be a risk, but it was a risk that both he and the medical staff were willing to face.
We were aware that he might try to dislocate it again, and since it appears that he has, he will undoubtedly require surgery.
“As of right now, I’m not sure, but I believe it will be about three months.
Murphy’s three-month absence from the field will keep him out of play until February, which will add to The Magpies’ already extensive injury list.
Sandro Tonali is suspended, Bruno Guimaraes will miss Newcastle’s next Premier League game due to suspension, while Sven Botman, Matt Targett, Alexander Isak, Elliot Anderson, Harvey Barnes, Javier Manquillo, and Matt Targett are all sidelined due to injury.