Newcastle United boss Matthias Jaissle has warned some of his returning stars that they won't simply walk back into his team ahead of Monday night's clash with Coventry.
Newcastle had close to a full squad training yesterday as the likes of William Osula, Dan Burn, Amar Dedic, Lewis Miley and Joelinton find themselves in contention for the encounter against Frank Lampard's side. But despite the likes of Burn and Joelinton bringing a wealth of experience to the table, they are both likely to be on the bench against the Sky Blues.
Burn and Joelinton likely to start on the bench
Burn's last competitive appearance was back in July for England in the infamous 2-1 collapse in Atlanta against Argentina in the World Cup semi-final, while Joelinton has not featured since a 3-1 friendly defeat for Newcastle against Everton at Murrayfield back in August.
It means Jaissle may keep faith with 18-year-old Dutchman Sean Steur in midfield while former Ajax centre-back Sven Botman could get another chance to cement his place in the heart of the defence ahead of Burn.
Jaissle said: "We want to treat every player in the same way. We have an individual approach, obviously, which is also important.
"But you need to see player by player how he (Burn and Joelinton) is doing physically, how he feels after a long injury.
"I also need to know if the medical department is giving the green light or not.
"There are many aspects to the decision-making process, but we are all happy to have them back as soon as possible."
Bigger squad to choose from
What is clear for Jaissle is that he has a much bigger squad to choose from since his last game when Newcastle scraped to a 2-1 win over Hull City. Back then, there were nine stars on the sidelines, but it's understood that only Anthony Elanga and Tino Livramento are the only long-term lay-offs.
Jaissle said: "They are coming back which is helpful for sure. They have the potential to be in the squad but for sure not in the starting XI.
"We had nine players out against Hull, and in the last three weeks, we have had the chance to get one or the other back. We'd have loved to have kept the winning rhythm and improve all the players on the training ground rather than the players being spread around the whole world.
"There are always pros and cons with international breaks. It has been an unusually long break, but we are all happy. We used the time and it worked in our favour when it came to the injury situations."
Respect for Coventry and Lampard
Jaissle goes in against Coventry full of respect for ex-England star Frank Lampard and won't take the newly promoted Sky Blues lightly. Lampard's side signed off with a win at Nottingham Forest in their last game, and Jaissle said: "Every team is capable of winning against every opponent.
"Coventry have the momentum, as they won their last match, and confidence. They also have quality and a clear playing style. If we perform at our best, then it will be difficult to beat us.
"We want to make it as difficult for them as possible. Frank Lampard is a pure legend and one of the players I looked up to."
