When Shay Given was a pundit for Sky Sports during Newcastle United’s match against Wolves, he discussed Callum Wilson in light of the number nine’s brace.
According to Shay Given, Eddie Howe must now decide whether to start Callum Wilson against Manchester United in light of Alexander Isak’s injury setback. Wednesday night at Old Trafford will see a rematch of the Carabao Cup final between Newcastle United and the Magpies, who are currently dealing with an injury crisis.
Howe has little options for attacking because both Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy are sidelined for an extended period of time. Due to Isak’s injury, Wilson will be the only striker for the Magpies in the upcoming weeks, while Anthony Gordon may fill in as the starting central defender.
Newcastle’s schedule doesn’t appear to be calming down anytime soon, as they play the Red Devils, Arsenal in the Premier League, and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League after that. While providing commentary for Saturday night’s 2-2 draw at Wolves, Given pondered whether Howe might be inclined to rest Wilson for the midweek cup match.
“I think that’s why they qualified for the Champions League in the first place, the fact that they have two options so Eddie Howe can keep them fresh every week,” Given stated to Sky Sports. But now that Isak is hurt, he does have an issue because he won’t be able to keep Wilson fresh each week. Will Wilson play at Old Trafford on Wednesday night?
“The games are getting closer and closer, especially with Wilson’s past injury history in mind. Eddie will be thinking about that—perhaps he might cover him in some cotton wool before the game.”
At the end of the match at Molineux, Newcastle were worn out, but Howe only made one change: Joe Willock was brought on from the bench. The Newcastle manager substituted five full-backs and two goalkeepers. Given wonders if the head coach will now be “questioning” the choice to bring in Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento this summer.
Before the game began, the analyst continued, saying, “Of course there are a lot of big-name players missing. I believe that this squad is capable of winning For example , if Wilson, Gordon or Almiron are hurt tonight, Matt Richie returns to the team for the first time, and it raises some concerns.
“My concern is with the number of full-backs they have; they added Livramento in the summer. Does Eddie Howe now regret that choice, or does he wish he had added a striker to aid with that depth? Eddie will want those players now, but I believe they are making plans for the future.”
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