Keeping Joe Willock fit could define Newcastle’s season

Midfielder can, like Sandro Tonali, feel like a new signing but break down again and there will be more questions over his durability

The pain and anguish contorted his face, as he raised his eyes to the sky and pulled his shirt over his chin. Having scored inside 60 seconds on his first start of the season Joe Willock was injured again.
The midfielder’s return lasted just 15 minutes against Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup. It was only the third time Willock had started a game since November last year.
Having tried to play on after pulling up inside the Newcastle area making a clearance, the 25-year-old was forced off with a thigh injury.
Understandably, the player feared the worst and as sad as supporters were to see him limping off once again, there were also unkind comments about the former Arsenal star being “made of glass.” Those comments were cruel, but the reason for them is obvious.
Willock played just nine league games for Newcastle last season. Kept out of the side until the end of October, as he recovered from a nasty hamstring injury picked up in May, he managed just six appearances before picking up a serious and stubborn Achilles problem.
What followed was, to use a polite word, a mess. Willock was told he did not need surgery, but when he came back at the end of February after three months of rehab work, the discomfort in his lower leg and ankle continued to hinder him. He was not the same player and after more consultations with medical staff, he was ordered to rest and rehabilitate for even longer.
Willock had his workload carefully managed in pre-season too, but when he was finally let off the leash again, his body failed again. For once, Willock received some good news. The muscle injury was not a serious one and, after missing the 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur before the international break, he is in line to return once more against Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend.
Newcastle need to keep him fit. The success of their season, or otherwise, could depend on it. For all the excitement surrounding the return of Italy international Sandro Tonali from his 10-month betting ban, Newcastle lost exciting youngster Elliot Anderson in the summer in order to comply with Premier League profit and sustainability rules. They need Willock to contribute far more than he did last term or they will look light in that department.
Newcastle are also a better team with Willock in it. He is one of their unsung heroes. He was one of their best players when Eddie Howe’s side qualified for the Champions League back in 2023, playing 43 games in all competitions. They reached the final of the Carabao Cup final too.
Next up at SJP: Chelsea! ⏳CC: @Joewillock pic.twitter.com/RvKs7rcJ4Q
Whether that is starting or coming off the bench, Willock adds a different dimension to Newcastle’s play, both offensively and defensively. He has something Newcastle’s other midfielders do not. Rapid speed over the ground, with and without the ball. His ability to dribble at pace, get the team up the pitch and tire out opponents too.
He is also relentless in his pressing when Newcastle are trying to win the ball back and scores goals too. Not enough, perhaps, but as he showed against Forest, his speed allows him to keep up with lightning counter attacks for tap-ins.
He is also capable of scoring with late runs into the box (as he did against Arsenal last season and several times when scoring eight goals in 14 appearances on loan at Newcastle back in 2020) as well with shots from the edge of the area.
His goal against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup last season is a prime example, driving forward with the ball at his feet to send a defence into retreat before finding the bottom corner with a zinger of a strike.
When you add speed from midfield to the passing range of Bruno Guimaraes and Tonali, and the strength and power of Joelinton, it is a potent combination. The fact Willock can also play on the left of a front three also gives manager Eddie Howe far more in-game options as well as competition for places.
Most of all, Willock needs some luck with injuries. If Newcastle can keep him fit, it is not just Tonali who will feel like a new signing as they head into the autumn. Break down again and it will not just be fans who question whether he is durable enough to be relied on.