Newcastle United’s Almiron out for the season
Paraguayan midfielder Miguel Almiron could be a doubt for his country's Copa America campaign after Newcastle United revealed he will miss their final three English Premier League matches due to a hamstring injury.
The games he will miss are against Brighton (this Sunday, away), Liverpool (May 5, home) and Fulham ( May 12, away).
The 25-year-old, bought for a reported club record fee of £20 million (S$35.2 million) from MLS Cup winners Atlanta United in January, went off in the second half of the 3-1 win over Southampton last Saturday.
"Miguel Almiron will miss the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury in Saturday's 3-1 win over Southampton," read a club statement.
"The club have already been in communication with - and will continue to liaise with - the Paraguayan Football Association ahead of this summer's Copa America, which the player could still feature in depending on his recovery."
Almiron has just over a month to recover with the Copa America, hosted by Brazil, kicking off on June 14 and Paraguay's opening game with 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar on June 16.
The upside for Newcastle is that Fabian Schar and Isaac Hayden are back in training after picking up knocks against Southampton.
Their return to training bolsters Rafa Benitez's options ahead of the trip to Brighton's Amex Stadium.
Hayden came off towards the end of Saturday's game while Benitez confirmed that Swiss international Schar had picked up a muscle injury.
With Almiron out, Benitez must rethink his formation against Brighton.
That could lead to a chance for Jonjo Shelvey - who trained yesterday - while Yoshinori Muto has also asked for his chance.
With Newcastle's place in the EPL safe, it remains to be seen whether Benitez will also hand one of his other goalkeepers some game-time.
Both Freddie Woodman and Karl Darlow have patiently waited for a chance this season.
Woodman enjoyed some game-time in the FA Cup against Watford and Blackburn Rovers, while Darlow - who was injured earlier in the season - has been restricted to just the League Cup loss at Nottingham Forest. - AFP
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