A Newcastle United injury development has emerged on Matt Targett’s situation…
What’s the latest?
Magpies head coach Eddie Howe has revealed that the left-back has suffered a blow that is more serious than they initially expected, albeit not a long-term issue as it stands.
The Northern Echo quote him as saying: “He (Targett) got a dead leg last week to his hamstring. We felt it was just a knock, but we had a scan and it showed very, very subtle damage to the muscle.
“We’re treating it like a very small muscle strain, but we’re hoping he will be back soon.”
The boss then provided an update on Ryan Fraser, saying: “He (Fraser) had a slight back spasm on Thursday and Friday,” he said. “He was close to making the game, but not fit.”
A blow for Howe
Although the defender shouldn’t be out for too long, an eventuality that will no doubt please the manager, the fact that it’s a more serious setback than first thought will surely worry the head coach.
The left-back is a proven Premier League performer who has been a solid, consistent, presence in the Magpies team since he arrived at the club – initially on loan – in January earlier this year.
In the 2021/22 campaign, he made 16 appearances in the top-flight and averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.99 – the third-best rating of all the Magpies players with 10+ games played in the division.
Of those with 10+ outings, Targett ranked joint-first for tackles (2.6) and first for interceptions (1.6) per game in the Premier League.
At the end of that loan spell, Howe was quick to praise his performances as he said: “Matt had a fantastic impact after joining on loan in January and made a big contribution to some excellent team performances.”
The full-back then signed on a permanent basis and made an excellent start to the campaign with a superb display against Nottingham Forest last weekend.
In the 2-0 win, Targett recorded a WhoScored rating of 7.29 as he completed three tackles and provided three key passes in the 90 minutes. The small sample size means that it is worth taking with a pinch of salt, but no Newcastle player has matched those totals per game across the first two matches.
Therefore, taking his form for the Magpies in 2021/22 and 2022/23, Howe will be concerned that the defender’s injury will keep him out of the next few games.
He has proven himself to be one of the top performers in the team and the head coach will surely be keen to get him back as soon as possible.
