Newcastle's injury crisis deepens ahead of unbeaten Hull's visit to St James' Park

Newcastle United face unbeaten Hull City at St James’ Park on Saturday in the Premier League, with manager Matthias Jaissle already managing a growing injury list that expanded significantly during Monday’s defeat to Leeds United at Elland Road.

Winger Anthony Elanga is the most serious concern after the Sweden international sustained an injury between matches. Jaissle was candid about the outlook. “The injury doesn’t look good. We need to investigate how serious it is. Elanga is struggling with injury but at the moment it does not look that good,” he said.

Midfielder Jacob Ramsey is also expected to miss Saturday’s fixture after feeling his thigh during the warm-up before the Leeds match. “It does not look good for the weekend at the moment,” Jaissle confirmed. Spanish midfielder Nico Gonzalez was withdrawn in the first half at Elland Road following a blow to the head, though Jaissle suggested the substitution was precautionary. “We have to be responsible to take him off the pitch even though he looked fine then. But there are rules for that occasion. Independent of how important it is to win a match, we are all human beings, and we take that seriously,” the Newcastle head coach said.

Gonzalez, Elanga and Ramsey join long-term absentees Joelinton, Dan Burn and William Osula on the club’s injury list, leaving Jaissle with limited options as he searches for a first league win in three games.

Hull arrive at St James’ Park in strong form despite a 1-0 Carabao Cup third-round exit to Sunderland last week. The Tigers remain unbeaten in the Premier League, having drawn their last two league matches against Aston Villa and Chelsea. That undefeated record, combined with Newcastle’s mounting fitness problems, makes Saturday’s fixture a significant test for the Magpies.