Newcastle United defender Federico Fernandez should be back in contention for the next Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur. The former Argentina international has missed the majority of the season with thigh issues and has been in and out of Eddie Howe's squad.
Fernandez was unavailable for the wins against Brighton and Southampton and the away defeats at Everton and Chelsea, but has been involved in warm weather training in Dubai with his team-mates and could give Howe an extra option away to Spurs. Fernandez's last appearance came in the 1-0 win over Burnley back in early December.
Newcastle got down to hard work at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex today after recovering from the loss at Goodison Park last Thursday night. United players had been afforded some rest and recuperation by boss Howe in the illustrious Middle East resort.
Read more: Newcastle may be about to see real Allan Saint-Maximin as he gets what he needs
Howe has demonstrated the togetherness of his group by including unregistered players such as Isaac Hayden and Ciaran Clark in his squad for the United Arab Emirates trip. Clark was controversially sent off at the end of the trip to Saudi Arabia for a clash with Al-Ittihad striker Abderrazak Hamdallah in a friendly.
However, that situation has long since been cleared up and while Clark was not picked by Howe for his Premier League squad he remains a Newcastle player. Despite some observations that Republic of Ireland defender Clark has no future, Howe is clearly keen to keep him involved.
