GOALKEEPER ROB ELLIOT is set to make his return from a long-term injury for Newcastle’s U23 side on Monday night.
The 30-year-old has been out of the game since March, when he sustained a serious knee injury playing for Ireland in a pre-Euro 2016 friendly against Slovakia.
The layoff resulted in the Ireland goalkeeper missing the European Championships in France, as well the Premier League run-in, which saw the Magpies relegated to the Championship.
“I feel good. I spoke to Simon Smith and the manager the other day and they asked how I was, and I just said that I feel good. I feel normal – I don’t feel like I’m injured,” Elliot told the club’s official website.
“It’s just a case of playing the reserve game, getting used to playing on a big pitch again, the passes and the distribution, sweeping things up, and just going from there.
“It’s the final box to tick. I’ve practised everything in training, I’ve done everything in the gym. It’s been just over eight months now, so it’s been a long time. It’ll be good to take my name off the injured list and hopefully be back in the plans to get back in with the first team,” the goalkeeper continued.
“It’ll be good to go back and play at St. James’ and get my bearings back again. It’s great walking out there, and even in a reserve game that will be great. It’ll feel like I’m taking off from where I left off from.”
Elliot, who was voted Newcastle’s player of the year last season, will be hoping to displace Karl Darlow as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper with Rafa Benitez’s men currently sitting top of the Championship.
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