Newcastle United are hopeful Fabian Schar has not suffered a serious injury days before the Premier League opener with Southampton after the Swiss defender limped out of Saturday’s Sela Cup win over Brest.
The centre-back made a last-ditch tackle to deny Kenny Lala in the closing stages but appeared to injure his ankle in the process. Schar received lengthy treatment from the physios before attempting to soldier on until the end of the clash.
However, the 32-year-old never looked comfortable and was soon replaced by youngster Ellis Stanton for the final minutes of the Sela Cup outing. Now, Eddie Howe is hoping the issue doesn’t prove to be a serious one.
“I haven’t spoken with Fabby yet, I hope it’s not too bad,” he told reporters after Saturday’s 1-0 victory. “It seemed like an ankle twist. He obviously felt a little discomfort but we hope he’ll be OK.”
Schar took to social media after his St James’ Park return, moving to offer a little reassurance following his early exit from Saturday’s proceedings. “Good runout and great to see so many of you at SJP,” he wrote on X. “Fully focused on the big start to the season next week.”
Should Schar fail to recover in time for the first game of the season, Emil Krafth will likely deputise at the heart of the defence. That is, of course, unless Newcastle can make progress on a deal for Marc Guehi in the next few days.
