Midfielders Matt Ritchie and Christian Atsu have injuries which may affect their status for the match against 12th place Southampton next Sunday.

First Team Injuries:

MID Matt Ritchie - Unspecified - Expected fit for Oct 15th

MID Christian Atsu - Knee - Expected fit for Oct 15th

MID Jonjo Shelvey - Finger/Hand - Fit for Oct 15th

DEF Paul Dummett - Hamstring - Late November return

DEF Massadio Haidara - Knee - Out indefinitely

Atsu has apparently recieved a knee injection to postpone surgical procedure. This issue has been ongoing and is likely to resurface sometime this season.

Rafa Benitez has said that Matt Ritchie had been playing too much and needs a break.

Jonjo Shelvey broke his finger trying to break up a training ground fight between Jamaal Lascelles and Mohamed Diame.

If Ritchie or Atsu do not play versus Southampton, Jacob Murphy and Rolando Aarons could see playing time on the wings. There is not much worry around the grounds about Ritchie and Atsu’s health, but if they are kept out of the starting 11, exciting prospects are ready to seize the opportunity.