DeAndre Yedlin Begins his Off-season With Surgery

Newcastle’s first choice Right back, DeAndre Yedlin, has underwent surgery to repair a groin injury. His timetable for return is uncertain, but it does not appear that the injury is serious.

The 25-year-old American posted on Instagram yesterday

“Surgery complete, Now time to recover.”

The surgery explains Yedlin’s absence from the team-sheet this past weekend when Newcastle fell 2-3 to Liverpool in the final match of this season at St. James’. The fullback is slated to miss Sunday’s match against Fullham, as his season with Newcastle is finished.

Much like Miguel Almiron, Yedlin will be rushing to get fit for his country’s summer competitive matches. The United States will be playing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup this summer, a competition that begins in the middle of June.

The U.S. will take on Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago , and Panama in the group stage of this year’s Gold Cup, which will begin on June 15. The U.S. will play Jamaica and Venezuela in a pair of friendly tune-ups prior to the Gold Cup. The Gold Cup matches will be the team’s first competitive matches since they failed to qualify for the World Cup in late 2017.

It is uncertain when Yedlin is supposed to return, but it does not appear the injury is serious enough that he should miss any of the Newcastle preseason.

Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Yedlin’s absence should not have that much of an effect on team selection as the right back has not featured for Newcastle since giving away a penalty at the end of the Chrystal Palace fixture. Rafa Benitez has opted to start Matt Ritchie and Javier Manquillo to no surprise, and the duo have held their own, even excelling at times.

Yedlin was featured on the bench during the run of matches he did not start, so the only thing to pay attention to on Sunday will be who Newcastle replaces him on the bench with. The most likely option is Antonio Barreca, an option that leaves Newcastle without the ability to bring on a true right back in the unfortunate circumstance that Manquillo gets injured or sent off. Barreca found himself on the team sheet in place of Yedlin against Liverpool, and saw no action.

Kenedy will also likely be on the bench, and has been used as a sub for Matt Ritchie, or for either winger in Newcastle’s five-in-the-back formation. If absolutely necessary, Kenedy could play right-wing back or we could see Ritchie switch over to the right hand side as well.

A wildcard option for Newcastle could be a bench appearance by academy product Jamie Sterry. Sterry is the only other true right back on the roster as it stands, and has featured for the senior team twice this season in both FA Cup matches. Both appearances were fairly lackluster, but using him as a bench option against the worst team in the Premier League is not a huge risk. The 23-year-old has been a mainstay in the U23s all season, and was eventually loaned out to League 2 side Crewe Alexandria. After only making one appearance for Crewe, he was recalled by Benitez and has been featured in nearly all of the U23 matches since. The fullback is desperate to prove he belongs in the Premier League and with Newcastle, especially since Newcastle look to revamp their academy this summer.

Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images

The hope is that Manquillo remains healthy, so that Newcastle do not have to rely on any subs or formation changes. Additionally, we are playing Fulham, who are not a particularly threatening side.

Hopefully Yedlin is able to recover in time to make some appearances at the Gold Cup. If he does, you can follow all the action on Fox Sports or Univision in the United States markets.

Even if Yedlin is not playing in the Gold Cup there is not a huge downside, as we get to be blessed with more of Simba, his absolutely adorable doggo.