Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has admitted that he thinks Kieran Trippier will return to action before the end of the season.
Newcastle were hammered 5-1 away at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon as Howe’s men completely fell apart in the second half.
The Magpies are nine points clear of the relegation zone but they aren’t officially safe yet and may still need a few more results to ensure their Premier League status.
January signings have certainly helped their cause, and Newcastle certainly felt the impact of signing Kieran Trippier.
A real statement signing from Atletico Madrid, Trippier came in and made an instant impression at St James’ Park.
Trippier buried free kicks against Everton and Aston Villa, picking up vital wins for Newcastle in their quest to stay up.
Add in the leadership and character of Trippier and Newcastle certainly reaped the rewards of striking that January deal.
The 31-year-old should be a key player at Newcastle for a long time yet, but his impact was cut short with an injury sustained against Villa.
A broken metatarsal threatened to end Trippier’s season and with three defeats in a row, the Magpies are missing him.
Newcastle boss Howe has now spoken up about Trippier, admitting that the injury isn’t totally healed yet and progress hasn’t been as quick as hoped.
Howe, speaking to The Chronicle, did though add that he thinks Trippier will play again this season, predicting a return before the 22nd of May.
Newcastle face Trippier’s former club Burnley on that day, and whilst the Magpies will hope to be safe by then, having Trippier back would be a major boost.
“His injury is healing, it’s not totally healed. We will be able to start pushing him, maybe not as quickly as we initially wanted to, but I still think he’ll come back this season,” said Howe. “Again, there’s no definitive date on that but he’s making good progress,” he added.
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