Newcastle United face a growing injury crisis after their heavy 4-1 defeat to Leeds United, with Anthony Elanga, Jacob Ramsey and Nico Gonzalez all doubts for Saturday’s clash with Hull City.
Elanga was missing from Newcastle’s squad at Elland Road, with the club confirming that the Sweden international was unavailable because of an injury.
Before kick-off, head coach Matthias Jaissle revealed that Elanga had been struggling with the issue and admitted that further tests would be needed to establish how serious it is.
“With Elanga, obviously he is struggling with an injury. We need to investigate further and in more detail to find out how long he will be out,” Jaissle told Sky Sports. “We will miss him and hope he is back to play quickly.”
The German manager also admitted that the injury could potentially keep Elanga out for an extended period, saying: “It could be [long-term]. We hope not. He will get another MRI next week and we will see.”
Elanga had enjoyed an impressive beginning to his Newcastle career under Jaissle, scoring in each of the club’s first two Premier League matches against Liverpool and Tottenham.
His availability for Newcastle’s final game before the international break against Hull on Saturday is now uncertain.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez was forced off during the first half against Leeds after being struck in the face by the ball. The incident happened around 10 minutes before he was substituted in the 19th minute.
Although the midfielder initially received treatment and appeared capable of continuing, Newcastle’s medical team decided to remove him from the match.
Jaissle explained that the club had a responsibility to protect Gonzalez, regardless of how important the player was to the team.
“With Nico, as the manager and as a club, we also have a responsibility,” Jaissle said. “If he had that knockout feeling, as you all saw, we are responsible enough to take him off the pitch.”
He added that concussion protocols were taken seriously and that the decision was made with Gonzalez’s wellbeing in mind.
Ramsey was another absentee from the starting lineup after suffering a thigh problem during the warm-up. Jaissle confirmed that the midfielder was unable to take part and was therefore not considered as a replacement for Gonzalez.
“Ramsey felt his thigh in the warm-up, so he was not able to play tonight,” Jaissle explained. “That was the next challenge. Tonight was a little bit the story. Many things came together.”
Asked whether any of the injured players could return against Hull, Jaissle gave a worrying response, admitting: “It doesn’t look good at the moment.”
Gonzalez appears particularly unlikely to feature, with concussion guidelines recommending that players who suffer a concussion should not return to competitive football within six days.
Newcastle’s injury list is already lengthy, with captain Dan Burn dealing with an ankle problem, Joelinton suffering from a thigh injury, William Osula nursing a foot issue and goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen sidelined with an ankle injury.
Burn and Joelinton are yet to make an appearance for Newcastle this season, adding to Jaissle’s growing selection problems ahead of the Hull City fixture.
Newcastle fans won’t like this: Negative Anthony Elanga and Jacob Ramsey updates emerge as Nico Gonzalez situation is finally clarified
