Jonjo Shelvey is making good progress after picking up a calf injury in pre-season during the 3-2 friendly defeat in Lisbon against Benfica.
The Newcastle United midfielder was in a tip-top shape in the summer before being dealt a cruel blow at the Stadium of Light in Portugal. However, the good news for Shelvey is his return could be sooner than expected.
A calf operation in August followed with club medics suggestion he could be out for 12 weeks. But with Eddie Howe naming Shelvey in his 25-man squad for the first half of the season, an autumn return looks a possibility.
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Howe said today: "Jonjo's making good progress. He's out on the grass, he's running, he's looking good. He's in a really good physical condition, he's looking after himself, so we anticipate that hopefully, he won't be too long."
Shelvey is just three appearances shy of a getting a contract extension at Newcastle. He signed for the club back in 2016 after falling out of favour at Swansea City.
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