Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle faces a selection dilemma for Saturday's Premier League match at Fulham, with the return of two players from injury potentially forcing summer signing Aladji Bamba out of the matchday squad.
The Magpies are looking to end a run of back-to-back defeats to Everton before the November international break, and could be boosted by the return of Mathias Fernandez-Pardo and Lewis Miley, who have missed the last three games through illness and injury respectively.
Returning players force tough choices
While the inclusion of Fernandez-Pardo and Miley would be a bonus for Jaissle, it also creates a problem over who makes way on the bench. Bamba, a £35.5m signing from Monaco in the summer, has barely featured since his arrival.
The young Frenchman has been a regular presence on the bench but has played only 27 minutes of Premier League football, with his last appearance coming in the closing stages of the 2-1 win over Hull City. Joelinton, Nico Gonzalez, Sean Steur and Miley have been preferred in central midfield roles.
Future decisions loom after Fulham
Jaissle will need to find two places in his squad if Fernandez-Pardo and Miley return, with Jacob Ramsey's suspension freeing up one spot. Bamba appears the obvious candidate to step down from the squad that faced Everton.
However, an even bigger decision could come against Arsenal after the international break. Ramsey will return for that match, and full-back Tino Livramento is also close to involvement, which would require a further two players to drop out.
The focus could fall on Malick Thiaw or Sven Botman, while one of forwards Jacob Murphy, Yoane Wissa and Bazoumana Toure could also be under threat. If Bamba and Toure were the men to make way, it would raise questions about Newcastle's summer transfer policy, which saw the pair arrive for a combined £77m.
Botman was handed a new deal over the summer but faces a battle to stay in the squad once Livramento is fit, with current first-team centre-backs Fabian Schar and Dan Burn both out of contract in the summer.
These are the decisions head coaches are paid to make, but Jaissle could be set for some difficult conversations in the coming weeks.
