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Rafa offers injury update
Written by Rory Mitchinson
Rafa Benítez has revealed that Kenedy and Paul Dummett could both be in line to return for Newcastle United against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.
A toe problem kept Kenedy out of the Magpies’ 1-1 draw at Everton on Wednesday night, while Dummett has not featured since picking up a hamstring injury while on international duty with Wales at the beginning of November.
But, as United gear up for a third Premier League game in the space of eight days, Benítez offered a positive update on the pair – a timely boost to his preparations, with Swiss defender Fabian Schär set to miss out on the clash through suspension.
“Kenedy’s fine – he was training today. He had a problem with his nail but he is OK,” the Spaniard said. “Today, he has been training. He has been with the physios and doctor, and everybody has been working really hard trying to keep him fit. Hopefully he can train again tomorrow and then he will be available.
“We have lost Schär, but we have (Matt) Ritchie back, and the rest of the players. Dummett has been training. If he’s training tomorrow (Saturday) without any problem, then he is another option. We will see. Match fitness is always the key – it’s not just that you train, it’s how you train and if you can keep the tempo of an official game.
“We have a lot of bodies. There is good competition, and there are good problems for me.”
Promoted to the Premier League as Championship champions, Nuno Espírito Santo’s Wolves put an end to an indifferent run of form with an impressive 2-1 win over Chelsea at Molineux on Wednesday.
44-year-old Santo – who won the division’s Manager of the Month award for September – was only appointed in May last year but has already lasted longer than five of his six predecessors in the Wolves hotseat, and Benítez believes Sunday’s opponents are likely to be well drilled in executing their boss’ methods.
“I think it’s a very good team, and they also have the advantage of being with the same manager for a while, playing the same way,” he said. “They have some very good players – even in the Championship, they had a very good team. Now, they have spent some money. And as I have said before, good managers and good players mean good teams.”
“We have a lot of bodies. There is good competition, and there are good problems for me.”