Newcastle’s Eddie Howe has announced that midfielders Joe Willock and Lewis Miley will be out until next season to prevent additional injuries to the squad.
Joe Willock and Lewis Miley will not play for Newcastle again this season, as manager Eddie Howe does not want to rush them back from injuries.
Willock has had an injury-plagued season, starting just five Premier League games and making only 14 appearances overall. The £25 million transfer from Arsenal has been dealing with an Achilles issue and suffered a setback during the 1-0 victory against Fulham earlier this month.
When asked if Willock may return before the end of the season before of Newcastle’s game against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, Howe replied: “No, we don’t think so.” With Joe, we all decided – the medical team, Joe – that strengthening the area surrounding his Achilles would be more beneficial, so he went to visit a specialist, and they said, ‘Look, you’ve got a couple of options here’.
“He could have carried on playing, but I think the longer-term view was taken, ‘Let’s get him right for next season’, so that’s what everyone is working towards.”
Howe added: “He’s desperate to play, but more importantly, he’s desperate to go into games feeling good about his body, which is a problem for any player. The game is difficult enough, and the level is so high that if you’re not 100%, the game typically finds a way to catch you off guard, and I believe Joe’s just angry that he hasn’t felt like himself when he plays.”
Miley is in a similar predicament, having made his way into Howe’s first team this season after playing 30 games. The 17-year-old midfielder has been out with a back injury, and Howe does not want to risk recurrence by rushing him back.
“The decision made on him again was to look at his long-term future and try to protect him, so we won’t see Lewie again this season,” he told us. “He’s done brilliantly this season, but I think with the back problem that he has, rest is probably the right way for us to go and even if there was a chance – and there possibly was if we pushed him to come back – we took that away very early with his age and thinking about his long-term prospects.”
The two midfielders aren’t Newcastle’s sole absentees; captain Kieran Trippier has been out since early March with a calf issue. The right-back will miss the Palace game, but Callum Wilson, who has returned to training after recovering from a pectoral injury, could be in contention.
Newcastle are particularly injured, with Miguel Almiron, Nick Pope, Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles, Joelinton, and Matt Targett all sidelined, while Sandro Tonali is still suspended for betting violations.
