Newcastle United receive double boost ahead of Aston Villa clash as duo pictured in training

Eddie Howe’s side face Unai Emery’s Aston Villa in Philadelphia on Sunday in the first of three matches in the USA against Premier League opposition. That match kicks-off at midnight on Sunday night into Monday morning and will be a stern test of Newcastle’s credentials ahead of the new campaign.

Newcastle have already defeated Gateshead and Rangers in their two pre-season games to date and travelled across the Atlantic with a fairly fit squad ahead of their games with Villa, Chelsea and Brighton. One player that is yet to feature for Newcastle this summer has been Jacob Murphy having missed both games with a shoulder injury. 

Speaking about Murphy’s absence following the win over Gateshead, Eddie Howe said: “Jacob has a shoulder injury. We don’t think it’s serious, we hope he’ll be back very soon”

And Murphy’s return to the first-team fold could come very soon after he was pictured training with the group out in Atlanta. Photos released by the club show Murphy being put through his paces alongside teammates Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Callum Wilson, Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak.

Also pictured in training was Martin Dubravka amid speculation over his future at the club. Like Murphy, Dubravka is yet to feature for the Magpies in pre-season and Howe revealed the reasons for the Slovakian’s absence, denying that Dubravka’s future may lie elsewhere: “No - Martin is a big part of what we’re doing,” Howe told BBC Newcastle when asked if Dubravka could leave this summer. “He was slightly later back than some of the other players and that’s why he hasn’t featured yet.”