SM
Barcelona vs. Brann: 4 hrs 29 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Steve Bruce fears two Newcastle players are suffering from long COVID

:Headline: Steve Bruce fears two Newcastle players are suffering from long COVID: ID:427097: from db_amp
The Magpies closed their training ground after a coronavirus outbreak.

Newcastle head coach Steve Bruce fears two of his players are suffering the lasting effects of long-term Covid-19.

The Magpies were forced to close their training ground and postpone the Premier League trip to Aston Villa earlier this month as coronavirus swept through the club, and the repercussions are ongoing.

Defender Federico Fernandez and midfielder Isaac Hayden have returned to action after recovering from the virus, but Bruce will again be without several unnamed players for Saturday' clash with Fulham at St James' Park, and he has revealed two of them are particularly unwell.

Asked when they might be able to re-join the squad, Bruce said: "A couple of the players in particular, it's had a damaging effect, so it won't be a week or two, it's going to be longer than that.

"We're not just talking about an injury here, a calf strain, we're talking of a virus which unfortunately has damaged them.

"Obviously we'll try our utmost to make sure that we look after them and their welfare. We'll adhere to the rules and do everything we can.

"You accept injuries, but a virus like this is obviously new to everybody. I've seen the effect now it has on extremely fit, young professional footballers and the effect it's had on them and two of them in particular.

"Yes, we're at a disadvantage and we hope, for my sake as well as the players', they do recover properly and give them time to recover because it's the welfare of the player and their long-term health.

"This long-term Covid, if one or two of them have got it like they seem to have, then it's very, very difficult to manage."

The Magpies scrapped their way to a commendable 2-1 win over West Brom on Tyneside last weekend, but were thumped 5-2 at Leeds in midweek as they wilted at the death, although Bruce is refusing to use the outbreak as an excuse.

Instead, he is looking to the positives of two big fixtures inside four days with Tuesday night's Carabao Cup quarter-final trip to Brentford following hot on the heels of the Fulham game.

Bruce said: "We usually class Christmas as the halfway stage and if you get to 20 points by Christmas, you're usually jumping up and down, so we've got a great opportunity and how great it would be.

"Can we get to 20 points and can we be in the semi-final of a cup? It would be tremendous."

amp_article__427097 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-12-18 14:44:58:
html db last update - 2021-03-08 08:27:12 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Coronavirus outbreak - Click here for more stories

Click here for more stories about Steve Bruce

Click here for more stories about Newcastle United

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .