Joelinton (thigh) could return to the starting lineup for Saturday's Premier League clash against Aston Villa, according to coach Matthias Jaissle. "We need to manage it really carefully. We missed them so much. Joe has had more training compared to Dan and the next steps for both of them is to give them more game time. For Dan it will most likely be too soon to get that starting position already as he's just trained a couple of times but for Joelinton it could be a bit different."
Analysis:Joelinton is closing in on his first Premier League start of the season after recovering from a thigh injury that sidelined him throughout the opening weeks of the campaign. The midfielder returned to Newcastle's matchday squad against Coventry City on Monday and has completed more training sessions than fellow injury returnee Dan Burn. His improving fitness puts him in contention for a starting role against Aston Villa, although his playing time could still be managed as he works toward full match sharpness.
