Newcastle United have been dealt a fresh blow during the international break after learning that Ewen Jaouen has been injured in training with France Under-21s. The 6ft 6in goalkeeper has been ruled out of France's remaining fixtures and sent for an MRI scan before a return to Tyneside. The £25million signing had just recovered from an ankle injury that ruled him out of three games for the Magpies.
Impact on France and Newcastle
The injury means the youngster will miss the game with Luxembourg on Saturday as well as next week's game with Switzerland in Orleans. For Newcastle, the bigger picture is that Nick Pope will be a heartbeat away from the action as back-up to Lukas Hornicek.
The Magpies must now nervously watch on to ensure Hornicek, who did not play against England, returns next week unscathed. Czechia still have two matches in the UEFA Nations League against Spain in Oviedo and then the Three Lions at Wembley.
Miley also leaves England U21 squad
The blow comes on the same day in which Lewis Miley was pulled out of the England Under-21 squad to face Slovakia. Miley though is believed to have suffered a mere knock and will train next week ahead of the clash with Coventry City.
Miley suffered a broken leg at the end of last season but returned to pre-season and has been involved in Matthias Jaissle's opening two months in charge, playing at both right-back and in midfield. Speaking about Miley earlier this season, Jaissle had said: "He is not 100% fit, yet he performed the level he did against Hull in an unfamiliar position; he is still a young lad and is very talented. We should not give him so much pressure and let him develop."
An FA statement read: "Lewis Miley has left the England U21 squad and returned to Newcastle."
Jaouen's season so far
Jaouen has made just one appearance for the Magpies in the 3-2 win over West Bromwich Albion in the Carabao Cup. He then suffered an ankle issue in the build-up to the game against AFC Bournemouth.
Newcastle attempted to offload Pope in the summer but he has been the most experienced keeper at the KNOX during the international break. Pope, Mark Gillespie and youngster Aidan Harris were on show during an open training session earlier this week.
