Newcastle United defender Jamal Lewis has suffered another knee injury which will keep him out of international duty for Northern Ireland in the coming days. The left-back has struggled for fitness, and subsequently consistency, since Eddie Howe's arrival on Tyneside and this latest setback will do little to shore up his Magpies future.
Lewis was due to link up with Michael O'Neill and his Northern Ireland team-mates this week as they prepare to take on Denmark and Kazakhstan. Instead, it looks like another spell on the sidelines for the former Norwich man.
"Unfortunately Jamal aggravated a knee injury earlier this week so is not with us," national team boss O'Neill said this week. "Naturally with Shane Ferguson out as well, probably our two most prominent left-sided players are unavailable, but we have worked very hard in training. We had three really good days back in Belfast and we think we have found a way to accommodate for that."
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Lewis still has two years to run on his Newcastle deal but only featured four times for Newcastle last season. Howe was quizzed over the player's St James' Park prospects at the end of the season and admitted he too was unsure over the player's future.
"The future is a little bit unclear for him. He’s very much a valued member of our squad at the moment. I’m very aware I’ve not been able to give him the football he wants this season but I would say his game has developed behind the scenes," Howe said.
"The work he’s put in behind the scenes every day to improve himself with the coaches here has been brilliant to see. His game has been in a really good place, just I haven’t been able to give him the opportunities to show that. He’s someone we value and believe. As I sit here now, I don’t know what the future will hold for him next year."
