Newcastle United have suffered an injury blow with the news that Jonjo Shelvey is to undergo a second scan on a knee injury.
Despite currently sitting just two points above the bottom three in the Premier League heading into the final 10 games of the season, Newcastle could be forgiven for being optimistic about their chances of securing a second consecutive campaign in the top flight.
Rafa Benitez’s men have only lost in the league once in 2018, and that was away to Manchester City, and they recently secured a 1-0 victory over Manchester United and boasted a 2-0 lead over Bournemouth that they only surrendered in the final 10 minutes.
Part of the reason for their recent encouraging form has been the drastic turnaround from Mo Diame, who has seemingly gone from being something of a liability to being a valid starter in the Magpies midfield in recent weeks.
But the importance of Diame maintaining that current form has now been ramped up significantly with the news that Sky Sports reported earlier today that Jonjo Shelvey is going to have to undergo a second scan on his knee that he injured during the draw with the Cherries.
Like Diame, Shelvey has been impressive lately and it appeared that Benitez had stumbled upon a central midfield partnership that would have the momentum to ensure that Newcastle were not dragged back into the bottom three.
But with Shelvey in danger of a spell on the sidelines, Benitez desperately needs Diame to prove that his resurgence is not a short-term transformation as without Shelvey, the Magpies fans may fear that their recent optimism may have been premature.
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