Newcastle United defenders Achraf Lazaar, Jesus Gamez and Massadio Haidara have all missed sizeable chunks of the season so far.
Rafael Benitez has told the Shields Gazette that Newcastle United are set to welcome Achraf Lazaar, Jesus Gamez and Massadio Haidara back to their first-team soon.
Lazaar, Gamez and Haidara have all missed much of the season so far through injury.
However, the trio are all closing in on full fitness, after returning to Newcastle training.
And Benitez believes it is good news, to have three players of such quality back to add even more competition for places.
“Lazaar, Gamez and Haidara were training,” said Benitez. “It’s good. It’s more competition and more options for the next game. We have the international break after, and we will see how many players go and how many players are available. It’s always important to have all the players available.”
Lazaar and Gamez both joined Newcastle in the summer, but they have struggled to make an impact so far due to injury.
Haidara, meanwhile, has been out since last season with a long-term knee complaint.
Despite having the three defenders out, Newcastle have still coped well – and they are currently leading the way in the Championship, after a highly impressive start.
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