Newcastle full-back’s DeAndre Yedlin and Javier Manquillo both currently have injuries.
Newcastle United picked up their first point of the 2018/19 Premier League season against Cardiff City last weekend, but once again were hit by another injury to one of their full-backs.
Right-back Javier Manquillo limped off the field at half time, forcing Rafa Benitez to play Isaac Hayden in his position, with no other right-back on the bench.
The Magpies boss wasn’t given the funds by United’s owner Mike Ashley to sign another full-back in the window and it could come back to haunt Newcastle with both Yedlin and Manquillo having picked up knocks.
Benitez may even look at the Magpies’ Under-23 setup for a stand-in right-back for Sunday, with 22-year-old Jamie Sterry one of the players rumoured to make the step up to top-flight football.
Newcastle are not blessed with options at full-back, and Benitez pursued a back-up left-back all the way up until the deadline the other week, but to no avail. Instead, Manquillo is the man trusted to cover both sides, having played on the right and left last season, with varying degrees of success.
While his performance against Cardiff was poor, Manquillo’s injury remains a worry, but Newcastle were spared a disaster with American international Yedlin already back in training following his knee injury on the opening day against Tottenham.
One other full-back option is Achraf Lazaar, who was loaned out last season and almost left again this summer, failing to impress Benitez since arriving from Palermo in 2016. Based on that, it seems the Spaniard isn’t too keen to go with the Moroccan…
Toon owner Ashley has been accused of not giving the North-East club the financial backing it deserves in their second season back in the Premier League after finishing 10th last term.
But Ashley could be forced to splash the cash in the January transfer window, especially if Newcastle’s full-back woes continue to cause their Champions League winning manager problems.
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