(Reuters) – Newcastle United defender Tino Livramento and attacker Miguel Almiron’s injuries are not as bad as initially feared and the pair could return to action in the coming weeks, manager Eddie Howe said on Friday.
Livramento and Almiron were both forced off the pitch with injuries during Newcastle’s 4-3 win over West Ham United on Saturday, with both being left out of the squad for Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Everton.
“Tino’s was quite obvious when you looked back at the footage. (It was) strange really as the ball hits his ankle before it hits the floor,” Howe told reporters ahead of Saturday’s trip to Fulham.
“Thankfully, it’s not as serious as it could have been. He could be back quite quickly.
“Miggy tweaked his knee slightly. Again, it’s not a serious injury but enough to keep him out.”
Newcastle, eighth in the standings, will be glad to have averted serious injuries to the duo, with Jamaal Lascelles, Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson among the players already sidelined.
“The difficult thing is when you are stretched and lose a couple more, then you become even more stretched. When you get to a tipping point it is very difficult to control that,” Howe said.
“You don’t have the flexibility to protect players and we have been in that situation for months. That is where we are currently, especially with our defenders.”
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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