Newcastle rarely-seen talent should start vs Hull City, Mattias Jaissle's mind mind up for him
Matthias Jaissle must finally deploy the exciting Bazoumana Toure amid a string of concerning injuries just weeks into Newcastle United's season.
The in-form Amar Dedic and Anthony Elanga have both been ruled out of Saturday's clash against Hull City, while new signing Nico Gonzalez is also unavailable after being forced off against Leeds United on Monday.
Jacob Ramsey, Joelinton, Will Osula and Dan Burn complete a lengthy injury list for the Magpies, who already do not boast a squad full of depth.
The visit of Hull City on Saturday promises to be a difficult one regardless of absences, with the Premier League new boys yet to lose a game in the competition this season.
Newcastle were dealt their first defeat by Leeds this week, with Toure scoring the visitors' only goal in a 4-1 defeat at Elland Road.
The 20-year-old arrived in a £42million deal from Hoffenheim this summer after scoring five goals and providing nine assists in Bundesliga last season, but has been limited to brief appearances so far.
Bazoumana Toure is ready to explode for Newcastle
There is significant excitement surrounding Toure at Newcastle, and for good reason.
The winger was impressive in pre-season, but has featured for just brief periods this season so far.
In 45 minutes against West Brom in the Carabao Cup, the 20-year-old scored, created a chance and made several defensive contributions.
Bizarrely, Toure would feature for just one minute in the next three games across all competitions following that display, with Jaissle citing the form of Harvey Barnes.
Against Leeds, he was finally afforded another chance and, once again, showed his readiness. In just 33 minutes, the Ivory Coast international got one back for Newcastle.
He also completed two successful dribbles, was fouled once, won four duels and made two recoveries.
Crucially, Toure came on for Jacob Murphy and featured alongside Barnes, providing confidence that the two will start together on Saturday.
The Jacob Murphy concern
One of Newcastle fans' biggest frustrations with Eddie Howe in his final year at the club was his over-reliance on Murphy.
The 31-year-old dropped off completely from the levels he had shown in the 2024-25 campaign, but kept the faith of his manager and Newcastle, who extraordinarily rejected a £15m bid for him from Nottingham Forest despite the one year left on his deal.
"He's a really important player for our squad, not only on the pitch, also off the pitch. A leader," Jaissle said on Murphy this week.
"On the pitch, he's so smart, so game-intelligent. He knows exactly his strength, and he knows how to deliver within our identity."
Such words provide some concern that the winger may well keep his place over Toure against Hull, yet surely Jaissle's mind has been made up for him over the summer arrival.