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Forward Duo "Fine", Says Rafa
Written by Newcastle Utd
Newcastle United will be without forwards Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dwight Gayle for Saturday evening's clash with Brighton
By Tom Easterby - Newcastle United Club Reporter
Newcastle United will be without forward duo Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dwight Gayle for Saturday evening's Sky Bet Championship clash with Brighton & Hove Albion - but manager Rafa Benitez has allayed fears about the pair's fitness.
Both players suffered head injuries during Tuesday night's 2-0 EFL Cup win over Cheltenham Town and were substituted.
But Benitez says his frontmen are reporting no ill effects, and their absence from tomorrow's game at St. James' Park is purely in order to abide by new stipulations regarding the selection of players who have suffered concussion.
"After the game they were fine - I was talking with them, and they are okay. But the English rules say that they can't play," said the Spaniard.
"Yesterday I was in contact with them, and they wanted to play. They were even saying 'I can take responsibility', but they cannot. This morning, they were around and they are fine, but that's it.
"It's just the rules. I think that it's very clear, you have to wait around six days. Every day they have a protocol they have to follow. In Spain or in Italy, it depends on each case. Here, it's the same for everyone."
One player who will be out for slightly longer, though, is winger Rolando Aarons.
The 20-year-old broke a metatarsal against the Robins in midweek, and will be out for eight weeks.
And the Magpies boss wants his team to step up in the absence of their two main centre forwards, as well as wide man Aarons.
"To play a cup game and to lose three players is something that you're not expecting, and when you want to go through in the cups, you don't want to lose players every time," said Benitez.
"But we have to manage. I'm worried because we are losing players, but we have to do what we have to do with the squad that we have at the moment.
"We have to manage the situation without them. Without Mitrovic we were doing well, and now we have to manage also without Gayle.
"We have to be sure that we have enough players to score goals and play a good game. It will be difficult, because (Brighton) are a good side, but still, we have confidence."