Newcastle United may have been handed a potential injury boost after Eddie Howe's hint over Miguel Almiron's recent thigh problem.
When will Almiron return from injury?
The Paraguayan was forced to miss the international break having been absent for Newcastle's dramatic 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
Almiron had picked up a thigh issue earlier in the month and remained on Tyneside as the rest of the side jetted off to Dubai for some warm-weather training.
However, journalist Lee Ryder has suggested the £60k-per-week winger could be set to return to the side within the next month if all goes to plan.
Indeed, speaking on his YouTube channel, the Toon reporter suggested Howe had hinted at the issue not being overly serious during his press conference on Friday morning:
"Miguel Almiron, [the game] comes too quickly for him. Slight hint that he might be back before the timeframe – slightly before. So it's going to be interesting to see if he's going to be available for what could be the Champions League decider against Tottenham Hotspur later next month. So positive news on the injury front."
Who could replace Almiron?
Reports have suggested Howe is set to receive a number of injury boosts ahead of their next game against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
One of those potentially being Anthony Gordon with the youngster also making his own return from ankle injury which has kept him out of the last two games.
As well as Gordon, Allan Saint-Maximin is expected to be available for the Toon on Sunday which will provide Howe with a surplus of options to choose from out wide.
However, the decision is likely to come down to who is best to replace Almiron if Gordon is fit enough to return to his spot on the left after making a big-money move to St. James' Park.
And it is certainly an open race with neither Jacob Murphy nor Saint-Maximin particularly setting the world alight this season in the Premier League.
Murphy has recently stepped in for Almiron on the right side in his absence and has been a regular feature off the bench for Howe throughout the 2022/23 campaign (via Transfermarkt).
In a game against a side of Manchester United's calibre, Murphy could be the best option with a player like Marcus Rashford attacking down their left side.
Over the course of the season, Murphy has proven himself to be a stronger defensive option for Howe on the wing with the 28-year-old having lodged over double the number of tackles of Saint-Maxmin per 90 minutes (via Fbref).
If Howe does have the likes of Gordon and Alexander Isak in the front three, Howe could well look to provide Kieran Trippier with some extra support at right-back.