Daily Mail’s Craig Hope has provided updates on both Lewis Hall’s and Tino Livramento’s injury statuses, offering new insight into Newcastle United’s defensive outlook.
Regarding Hall, Howe previously revealed
the full-back required a second scan after suffering a hamstring problem during the Champions League victory over Union Saint-Gilloise on October 1.
While the manager gave no definitive return date, Hope reported that Hall was initially given a six- to eight-week prognosis. But, significantly, he adds that some of that timeframe has already passed and that the second scan “was more positive,” raising the possibility of a return before the November international break.
On Livramento, whose knee injury from September had already ruled him out for a long spell, Hope said that losing both England-qualified left-backs simultaneously is a “damaging” blow.
However, Hope rightly noted that Dan Burn’s consistency and reliability will likely help Newcastle cope. For the time being, Burn is expected to start regularly at left-back, and Kieran Trippier might also cover there on occasion.
Hope specifically flagged the question of squad depth, especially in relation to Lewis Hall’s absence:
“Alex Murphy is well liked by Howe, but the question remains as to whether he has sufficient faith in the 21-year-old … to use him in the Premier League and Champions League,” Hope wrote.
Hope also praised the centre-back pairing of Sven Botman and Malick Thiaw, saying their “brilliant partnership” offers defensive stability while Hall and Livramento recover.
