Eddie Howe admits he is pondering a start for Joe Willock in Newcastle United's season-defining FA Cup clash at Blackburn Rovers.
The midfielder made a goal-scoring return to the side in the 4-1 defeat at Arsenal when the Magpies at least signed the game off on a positive note. Willock, just back from an Achilles problem, instantly brought energy to the midfield and offered a threat in the final third, something Newcastle could do with at Ewood Park.
When asked if Willock was ready to play from the beginning against Rovers, Howe, speaking at his press conference, said: "It’s a difficult one. It’s something I’ll have to discuss at length with the medical team.
READ MORE: Eddie Howe press conference as Newcastle United boss talks injuries, FA Cup and Arsenal
"I think he’s very, very close to starting, he’s done a lot of work. Although we’ve only seen the 30 minutes or so that he played against Arsenal, he’s actually done a lot of work, and he seems to be getting himself into a position to start, so that’ll be a judgement call.
"We were delighted with Joe’s return, I thought he looked really good when he came on. He scored a very typical Joe Willock goal, which was great to see."
The other big call for Howe will be whether to play Martin Dubravka with the Slovakia international missing the rout at the Emirates Stadium due to illness. Howe must now decide whether to stick with third choice Loris Karius or bring Dubravka back in days after feeling under the weather.
He said: "We hope that he’s improved. We hope he’s available for selection, although at this moment in time, we still don’t know."
The other big positive to emerge from the press conference was Howe confirming that Nick Pope is back in light training. Although, the England international is still not close to a return in the opinion of the manager.
When asked about Pope, Howe said: "There's no immediate update but he's not on the verge of returning. He's working his way back and is still very much gym-based. He has done a couple of sessions outside but they're very, very gentle at this stage. I still think he's a number of weeks away."
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