Newcastle United's £51million signing Matias Fernandez-Pardo is a doubt for this weekend's Premier League clash against Crystal Palace after battling a sickness bug this week. The Belgian youngster missed training and went straight down the tunnel against Aston Villa after being taken off. Head coach Matthias Jaissle will run checks on the former Lille star today before making a final decision.
Fernandez-Pardo fitness assessed
Should Fernandez-Pardo be declared fit, he could be used on the right-hand side of the attack as he was against Villa. Jaissle has been accused of sticking with his principles, but he did scrap the idea of the Belgian playing as the lone striker, with William Osula set to take over in attack.
Speaking at his press conference about Fernandez-Pardo's chances of facing Palace, Jaissle said: "Matias has still some issues health-wise, so he can only train partially; hopefully, he can make it until the weekend."
Elanga ready for return
Newcastle will definitely have Anthony Elanga back in contention after the club confirmed he had been suffering with a hamstring injury, which has cost him five games. The club played footage of Elanga in training, with the star looking ready to pick up where he left off at the start of the season.
Elanga grabbed goals against Liverpool and Tottenham and, should he be fit enough to start against Palace, he would slot back in on the right-hand side. However, Jaissle warned on Friday that he would not be able to play a full 90 minutes.
Speaking on Elanga, Jaissle said: "For sure he's not able to play 90 minutes but he trained and worked really hard in the rehab so I count on him for sure, as he's hopefully also ready now to be at least able to join the squad. Then maybe it's the first time that also he gets some minutes."
Goalkeeping addition and ticket news
Elsewhere, Newcastle have added a new goalkeeping addition to their ranks after advertising for a specialist analyst. Former MK Dons and Exeter City goalkeeping coach Steve Hale will now assess potential young stoppers for the Academy. Hale arrives after stints with Crawley Town, Oldham Athletic, Forest Green Rovers, Walsall and Swindon Town, where he spent nine years.
Hale posted on social media: "After many years working on the coaching side of goalkeeping, I'm really looking forward to taking that experience into a new challenge of recruitment and scouting." He confirmed he is identifying the best talent in the UK and Europe for the Magpies.
Meanwhile, Newcastle chiefs have made it clear there will be no cash turnstiles for the Premier League 2 clash with Sunderland at St James' Park this Monday night (7pm). A club statement reads: "Tickets for Newcastle United Under-21s' Premier League 2 clash against Sunderland at St. James' Park are on sale here. Spectators can gain entry into the stadium via the East Stand but please note there will be no cash turnstiles."
Tickets can be purchased via the club website up until 7pm (GMT) on Monday, 26th October, while the Box Office, situated in the crowd corridor, will also be open between 4pm and 7pm. Season ticket holders gain free entry to the game but must still claim their ticket online, otherwise it's £5 for adults and £2 juniors.
