Newcastle United daily bulletin: Injury worries ahead of Tottenham clash highlight need to strengthen in summer but one Magpies target reluctant to leave Barcelona

Here in our latest daily bulletin, we round-up all the latest stories that have emerged today surrounding Newcastle United:

Injury worries ahead of Spurs trip

Next up for Newcastle is a trip to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, however, they could face Spurs without two of their key players.

Before suffering late defeats at Chelsea and Everton, Newcastle enjoyed a superb nine-game unbeaten run - built upon a solid defensive structure that conceded just six times in these nine games.

Martin Dubravka and Fabian Schar were ever-present during this run, however, both could be missing when they face Tottenham at the weekend.

Both players have left international duty early with Schar withdrawing with a thigh issue with Dubravka suffering from illness.

The verdict

There’s no denying that both Dubravka and Schar played a major role in Newcastle’s transformation and that the pair are still very much one of the first names on Eddie Howe’s team sheet.

However, their injuries away on international duty do highlight the huge reliance that Newcastle have put on the pair to help deliver results.

In Kieran Trippier’s absence, Dubravka and Schar, using all their international experience, have led the side from the back - they now need others to step up if they are absent at the weekend.

Dan Burn has been very solid and will be expected to continue this form alongside club captain Jamaal Lascelles who has been in and out of the side recently.

The Spurs attack, spearheaded by Harry Kane, will pose great threats to the Magpies back-line and Burn and Lascelles will need to quickly develop an understanding and a partnership in order to be successful on Sunday.

Clement Lenglet’s reluctance

It’s no secret that Newcastle will likely move to add at least one defender to their squad in the summer, with Barcelona’s Clement Lenglet just one of many names linked with a move to Tyneside.

However, reports from Spain have suggested that even though Barcelona are eyeing a move for Andreas Christensen from Chelsea in the summer, Lenglet is reluctant to leave the Camp Nou when the window opens, reportedly preferring to fight for his place.

Newcastle had been linked with an audacious move for the Frenchman during the January window.

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