Newcastle United could turn to their academy to solve their injury issues.
Eddie Howe is having to manage his team more carefully than ever, with his Newcastle United squad playing every three or four days amid a gruelling schedule.
The demands on the players are extremely high, and that is certainly true of Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento.
With the derby on Sunday, should Howe rest Hall and/or Livramento tonight?
We need them at 100% against Sunderland!
The duo have only recently returned from their own fitness issues, but are being expected to play consistently amid a lack of options at right-back and left-back. Kieran Trippier and Emil Krafth are injured, while Dan Burn is needed at centre-back amid Sven Botman’s unavailability.
That is why Newcastle United want to sign a full-back in January, but until then their academy could provide a solution.
Alex Murphy has senior experience that Newcastle United can lean on
On the left of defence, Howe has the option to turn to Alex Murphy.
That is something he has already done this season, with the Irish defender featuring in Newcastle’s Carabao Cup win over Bradford City.
He also has two Premier League appearances under his belt, while he impressed for the Magpies during pre-season.
While he is only 21 and has limited senior experience, he is very much a first-team player at Newcastle United now. Murphy has been on the bench for every Champions League game, while he has been an unused substitute in the Premier League in each of the last four fixtures.
Murphy is very much on the fringes, but is on hand to solve Howe’s left-back dilemma.
Which Newcastle United academy player are you most excited about?
Leo Shahar is destined to become a Newcastle United star
On the opposite side of the pitch, Newcastle United have Leo Shahar.
He feels like one of the stars of the Newcastle United academy right now, a player who is destined to succeed in black and white.
Shahar almost made his Newcastle debut last season, and has benefitted from training regularly with the first-team. The next step is playing competitively at senior level or going out on loan, with the former certainly a realistic option given Trippier and Krafth’s injuries.
It would be a big risk given the magnitude of the games Newcastle are involved in, but Shahar is improving and would relish the opportunity to make his debut at the age of 18.