Steve Bruce has confirmed Jonjo Shelvey will not feature for Newcastle United against Aston Villa on Saturday after sustaining a second calf injury, via the Magpies’ club website.
But the Toon boss will have Joe Willock available for his second debut after completing a permanent move from Arsenal. The midfielder put pen to paper on a deal at St James’ Park last Friday, but the £25m arrival was unavailable for the curtain-raising loss to West Ham.
Shelvey captained Newcastle at home to the Hammers and played 70 minutes before Bruce replaced the 29-year-old with Ryan Fraser. It was doubtful how long Shelvey would last in the opening day encounter, after struggling with calf issues this summer.
Shelvey’s problems ensured the midfielder, who Newcastle signed from Swansea for £12m in 2016, missed a large chunk of pre-season. Although his latest issue is not a recurrence, with Bruce noting that his new issue relates to his other calf.
“Jonjo won’t make it. He had a calf injury during pre-season and it’s his other one now – which is Sod’s law,” Bruce said. “I’d have liked [Willock] to have a few more minutes under his belt in terms of playing in pre-season. But, thankfully, he’s a naturally fit young man. It’s good to have him around and he’ll be in the squad, that’s for sure.”
Newcastle will also be without goalkeepers Karl Darlow (Covid) and Martin Dubravka (foot) against Aston Villa on Saturday. Neither are likely to return to action anytime soon, either, with Darlow suffering from the long-term effects of coronavirus.
Dubravka, meanwhile, suffered a setback in his recovery from injury as the scar became infected. Freddie Woodman will likely retain the gloves after facing West Ham.
Will Newcastle miss Shelvey against Aston Villa?
Bruce clearly felt he needed Shelvey against West Ham last week, and would likely have started him against Aston Villa. But the £70,000-per-week technician was clearly struggling for fitness against David Moyes’ Irons.
An early yellow card also ensured Shelvey played within himself for much of the Hammers’ visit to Tyneside. Although he was still able to produce a couple of promising through balls – an area Bruce admires of his game.
“He’s blessed with a natural ability,” Bruce said last year, via the Newcastle website. “He can see a pass that other people can’t, he can deliver a pass [and] he can score a goal.”
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