The Athletic reports that Newcastle United face a defensive dilemma after Tino Livramento’s injury, with The Athletic’s Chris Waugh warning that Eddie Howe may need to rely on a patchwork of solutions rather than a single replacement.
“We are still awaiting confirmation of the severity of Tino Livramento’s injury, with a scan expected once the swelling reduces,” Waugh wrote. “The early suggestions were that Newcastle were hopeful Livramento had avoided an ACL injury, though the 22-year-old is still expected to be
sidelined for a potentially lengthy period.”
In the meantime, Lewis Hall and Kieran Trippier are the likeliest to fill the full-back berths, but both bring concerns. “Hall missed Arsenal as his minutes are managed due to fatigue after stepping up his return from a broken foot, and Trippier is 35 and cannot be expected to play every game,” Waugh added. Emil Krafth is also carrying a minor injury, which partly explained Howe’s choice to send on Jamaal Lascelles instead during the Arsenal defeat.
Waugh suggested that Dan Burn could be used occasionally at left-back, while Malick Thiaw has experience at right-back from earlier in his career. Younger options are also on the table. “More realistically, Alex Murphy, the 21-year-old, may see opportunities at left-back, having come on against Bradford, and Shahar has been training with the first team throughout 2025,” Waugh said.
However, he cautioned against expecting too much from 18-year-old Leo Shahar. “It seems unlikely the 18-year-old will step up regularly in the short term, with Newcastle keen for him to gain exposure in the UEFA Youth League. Yet Shahar may find himself above Harrison Ashby, who did not secure a loan move during the summer due to injury, and who has not made a competitive appearance for Newcastle since joining from West Ham in January 2023.”
