Newcastle striker Dwight Gayle is facing up to 12 weeks on the sidelines through injury, The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope has reported.
Gayle ended the season in encouraging form for Newcastle, with all four league goals he scored in the 2019/20 campaign coming after lockdown, as he staked a strong claim to lead the line for Steve Bruce’s side in the coming season.
But after being forced off in last week’s friendly win over Crewe with a knee problem, the full extent of the injury suffered by Gayle now looks to have been revealed.
According to Hope’s latest update, the 29-year-old has Medial Collateral Ligament damage, for which he will now undergo surgey, after which he will face up to 12 weeks on the sidelines.
Also understand Dwight Gayle has damaged medial collateral ligaments (MCL) & will see specialist on Weds ahead of operation & rehab period. Sources say he'll be out for between 8-12 weeks following surgery.
— Craig Hope (@CraigHope_DM) September 1, 2020
You have to feel massively for both Newcastle and Gayle here following this news.
For Newcastle, it finally looked as though they had found someone capable of providing goals for them on a regular basis this season judging by Gayle’s recent form.
Yet in somewhat classic Magpies fashion, he has now suffered a long-term injury that looks set to keep him out of a huge chunk of the coming campaign.
Gayle himself meanwhile, will feel that this has come at the worst possible time for him as well, just as he was about to get the chance to lead the line for a Premier League team, something he has been waiting for so long to do.
But with a distinct lack of goalscoring pedigree upfront, Newcastle cannot afford to wait for Gayle to get fit, and simply must go out and find another striker now, meaning just how much of an opportunity Gayle will get in this side once he returns to fitness, remains to be seen.