Newcastle United will receive a huge boost ahead of the arrival of title-chasing Arsenal next weekend with the return of both Allan Saint-Maximin and Sean Longstaff to give manager Eddie Howe a full strength squad to choose from.
There were fears that two key players could miss the rest of the season with injuries, but Telegraph Sport can reveal that both will be able to train fully in the build up to the Arsenal game.
Saint-Maximin has been ruled out for a month with a hamstring injury while Longstaff was sent for a scan and an X-ray last week as it was feared he had broken a bone in his foot.
The loss of both for the run-in would have been a huge blow, especially in midfield where Longstaff was sorely missed in the recent 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa, as well as the win over Southampton on Sunday.
The 25-year-old’s energy and positional sense gives Howe’s side a much better balance in the middle of the pitch, while Saint-Maximin’s ability to open up a defense, allied with his unpredictability, gives Newcastle an extra offensive weapon.
With Anthony Gordon still finding it difficult to get up to speed with how Newcastle need their wide players to perform, Saint-Maximin – who was playing some of his best football of the season when he injured his hamstring against West Ham at the start of April – will add another dimension to the team whether he starts or comes off the bench.
Newcastle have been relentless in their pursuit of a top four finish since the middle of March, winning eight of their last nine games, but the pressure is cranking up with Liverpool playing twice before Eddie Howe’s side take on Arsenal.
Should Liverpool take maximum points from their two home games against Fulham and Brentford, they would be just three behind Newcastle in the table by the time they next play at St James’ Park.
Newcastle probably need another seven points from their remaining five games to guarantee a top four finish, but also face high-flying Brighton at home, as well as relegation-threatened Leicester City. That comes after a trip to an equally desperate Leeds United before Howe takes his side to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea on the final day of the season.
Newcastle have not assumed anything is done in the race for the Champions League and they are wary of a rejuvenated Liverpool. However, results at the weekend mean the Magpies are all but certain of a top seven finish and some variety of European football next season.
Meanwhile, Newcastle have no intention of reviving their interest in French wonderkid Hugo Ekitike after the player rejected a move to Tyneside last summer in order to sign for Paris Saint-Germain instead.
Ekitike, 20, has struggled for game time in Paris and is believed to want a move away from the club at the end of the season.
Newcastle, though, have since signed Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad and were unimpressed by Ekitike’s behavior after they agreed a fee with his French club Reims in July last year.
Despite a deal being verbally agreed, the player’s representatives delayed completing the move in order to engineer a transfer to PSG instead