Newcastle United lost 1-0 to Middlesbrough in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the KNOX training ground, as the club looked to give returning players vital match minutes.
With club captain Dan Burn, Joelinton, and Nico Gonzalez all recovering from knocks, Newcastle fielded senior players in the match against the Championship side. Joelinton has yet to play a single Premier League minute this season due to an ongoing muscle problem.
Jaissle on Joelinton's return
Head coach Matthias Jaissle is eager to see Joelinton back in action and said: "He has qualities, on the ball and out of possession. He is a leader, his body language shows that. We need warriors in the team; we are really happy to have him back training with us."
Asked about the friendly against Middlesbrough, Jaissle said in his press conference: "We had one (a friendly) last week and used that for a few guys who were here but also for the young lads from the Academy, which was good."
Injury updates ahead of Coventry
Lewis Miley is expected to have shaken off a knock in time for the Coventry game, while Burn is returning from an ankle injury after missing the start of the season. Burn has not appeared in a competitive match since the World Cup semi-final against Argentina, when England suffered heartbreak in Atlanta.
Jaissle will assess the fitness of Amar Dedic (thigh) and Jacob Ramsey (thigh), but William Osula (foot) is a major doubt, along with longer-term absentees such as Tino Livramento and Anthony Elanga, who have muscle problems.
Jaissle said: "I have allowed some of them an extra day off. We will have a full group in tomorrow. We are hopeful there will be three or four back from the nine missing against Hull City. Joey (Joelinton) is progressing well; he is doing better. We need to be smart in our load management."
