Matt Targett has been ruled out of Newcastle’s match against Manchester City on Saturday afternoon for a reason you seldom see.
Newcastle host the champions at St James’ Park in the 12:30pm kick-off and could leapfrog them if they win by four or more goals.
Eddie Howe’s side have made a strong start to the season and sit sixth after six games with 10 points but suffered their first loss last time out to Fulham.
Targett has not played this season but if Howe did want to call on him, he now cannot.
‘Matt had a flare-up of eczema, so he’s been nursing that the last couple of weeks,’ Howe explained.
Matt Targett is ruled out of Newcastle’s clash with Manchester City due to eczema
‘It’s been quite a bad episode for him. We’re hoping to get him back to training, but he won’t play this weekend.’
Targett, 29, initially joined Newcastle on loan from Aston Villa in the 2021-22 season and was signed for £15million that summer on a four-year deal.
Despite his promise in that loan spell, he has had three major injuries during his time in the north east, and missed 35 games last season with long-term hamstring and achilles blows.
More of a pressing concern for the first team is that Alexander Isak is a major doubt for the City game because of a broken toe.
‘He’s had scans and lots of tests,’ said Howe. ‘The injury has been diagnosed fine – it sounds worse than it is, but he’s got a broken toe. It’s one that can be managed and played with, provided he can tolerate the pain levels, and that will have no long-term risks. He had an injection to numb the pain, and that was fine until the injection wore off (at Fulham).
‘He’d be a doubt for tomorrow (Man City). He trained last week before the Fulham game on the Friday. He had an injection in his toe to play and he felt fine, but then he started to feel his toe in the last five to 10 minutes of that game.
‘Then after the game it sort of stiffened up and wasn’t in a great place early in the week. He hasn’t trained yet, so we’ll have to make a decision again as to whether he trains today or he misses the game.’
More to follow.
