Newcastle United defender Emil Krafth won't play a part in the club's pre-season fixtures despite making good progress after an ACL injury.
The Sweden international was badly injured in the Carabao Cup tie at Tranmere Rovers 11 months ago and could well cap 12 months on the sidelines after the horror injury at Prenton Park. Krafth had only just signed a new contract extension on the night of that 2-1 win on the Wirral.
However, it would be the start of one of the toughest periods of his career with the ex-Bologna star unable to play again in the 2022/23 campaign. Krafth is still getting through the end of his rehab but the right-back knows there is a big season of competitive action to come.
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When asked by NUFC TV about his progress, Eddie Howe said: "Emil’s a little bit further back, so he’s doing well, making good progress, but we don’t anticipate seeing him during pre-season."
Joe Willock and Nick Pope are also unlikely to be involved in Newcastle's first couple of friendly games against Gateshead and Glasgow Rangers. Willock suffered a hamstring at the end of a long hard season and has been recovering while Pope needed a finger operation earlier in the summer.
But one big plus was the return of Sean Longstaff to pre-season training after the midfielder picked up a knock in the final couple of weeks of last term.
