Newcastle are aiming to add a Champions League place to the Carabao Cup that they have already won this season but the Magpies will have to do it without one of their key players
Newcastle star Joelinton is set to miss the rest of the season in a major blow to the club’s Champions League hopes. The Brazilian picked up a knee issue in training last week and consequently missed the 3-0 win against Ipswich at St James' Park.
Joelinton was sent for further tests including a scan to determine the severity of his issue. And it now appears that the 28-year-old could miss the run-in as Newcastle attempt to seal a spot in the top five.
As per Mail Online, the issue is bad enough to see Joelinton miss the final four matches of the campaign, with Brighton, Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton all to come. It is suggested that he has been dealing with a knee complaint for the majority of the campaign.
Despite the signs pointing to his season being over, Joelinton does not appear to be of the same opinion. It is further suggested that he does not believe the issue is too serious and he does not want to concede that his campaign has been brought to a premature end.
Joelinton has been a key player for Newcastle this term having made 37 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals. And Howe praised him earlier this season for his approach.
"Joelinton is like gold dust because wherever you put him, you know he's going to do a good job," the Newcastle boss said. "His attitude never changes in training. He's playing in different positions, so he has to do the training. I'm really pleased again with his performance.”
Joelinton is not the only player that will be missing for Newcastle between now and the end of the campaign. Defenders Matt Targett and Lewis Hall appear highly unlikely to play again, while Jamaal Lascelles is also struggling with a knee injury.
As it stands, Newcastle sit third in the Premier League ahead of the final four games of the season with a two-point advantage over sixth-placed Nottingham Forest - albeit the East Midlands side have played a game fewer.
Howe has suggested that the race for the Champions League spots could go all the way until the final day of the campaign. “It will go down to the wire," he said.
"The important thing today was that we bounced back from last week. We have been very consistent and now we have four huge games. When you're running out of games as we are, you want to get back into the positions that you want to be in," he added.
"We know how tight it is, we know the quality of clubs we're competing again, but all we can do is try to win our games and it was a big step forward."