Newcastle injury news: Games Yoane Wissa, Tino Livramento could miss after Eddie Howe confirms double blow

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has revealed that Yoane Wissa has suffered a setback in his recovery from injury, but Tino Livramento will return sooner than initially feared.

Livramento was stretchered off after landing awkwardly following an aerial challenge in the Magpies’ 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, forcing him to miss Wednesday’s 4-0 Champions League win at Club Brugge.

The 22-year-old was sidelined for a year with an ACL injury at former club Southampton and there had been fears that the full-back might have sustained a similar problem. However, Howe has confirmed that he has avoided a serious tear and his recovery timeline is better that expected.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday ahead of Newcastle home encounter with Nottingham Forest on Sunday, Howe said: "He went to see a specialist and the scan initially looked better than we thought it was.

“The specialist confirmed it is an eight-week injury, which is a blow for us with the number of games we have in that period.

"It is a ligament injury and that's why it will take time to recover. He's already had a couple of injections in the ligament to strengthen it up."

Livramento could miss 11 games including three Champions League matches

An eight-week absence for Livramento could therefore see the full-back miss as many as 11 Newcastle games across all competitions before potentially making a first-team comeback in early December.

After October’s international break, Newcastle will travel to Brighton in the Premier League before welcoming Benfica to St James' Park for matchday three of the Champions League.

The Magpies will conclude the month with two more home fixtures against Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, facing the former in the Premier League and the latter in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.

Newcastle’s first Premier League game in November is away against West Ham United, and they will also face Brentford (A), Manchester City (H) and Everton (A) in the top flight, while Champions League clashes with Athletic Bilbao (H) and Marseille (A) have also been pencilled into their scheduled next month.

Should Livramento make a full recovery within the next eight weeks, he could be in contention to feature in a Premier League home game against Tottenham on December 3.

In the absence of Livramento, Kieran Trippier is set to deputise at right-back, with Howe adding: “That is the beauty of the squad and the strength of the squad we have, which will make a difference for us. We have real depth in the strength of the defensive areas.

“Losing Tino is a big blow for us with his athleticism and quality, but I have spoken many times about the role Kieran plays and his experience and quality he brings to the squad.”

Wissa set to target Newcastle return in early November after fresh setback

Meanwhile, Howe has revealed that Wissa’s return from a knee injury has been delayed by a fortnight after the summer signing saw a specialist on Thursday for an examination.

Earlier this week, Howe said that Wissa was "on track" to return for Newcastle’s match against Brighton on October 18 after the international break, but it seems more likely that he will now target a return away against West Ham on November 2.

The DR Congo international is yet to make his debut for Newcastle and has already missed six games since completing his deadline-day transfer from Brentford.

"Yoane saw a specialist again yesterday for a check-up on his knee," Howe told reporters. "We probably think now it’ll be eight weeks rather than six [in total]. No recurrence or problem, just slightly longer.”

Asked whether Wissa will have to wait for his chance when he returns to full fitness following the bright start made by fellow new recruit Nick Woltemade, Howe said: “Yoane is not really in that train of thought at the minute. He’s still trying to get fit and feel good within his body.

"When he’s fit then he’ll be thinking, like all players do, that he wants to get his position and earn his shirt.

"From Nick’s side, he’s got competition from Will Osula, who did really well on his sub appearance the other day and set the goal up for Harvey [Barnes]. There is good competition but Yoane is one that will add a different dynamic."

One additional piece of injury news that Newcastle supporters will be pleased about is that Jacob Ramsey - another summer signing - “could be involved” against Nottingham Forest this weekend as he has recovered “slightly quicker than expected” from an ankle issue that has forced him to miss the last six matches.