Nico Gonzalez could miss Newcastle United’s meeting with Hull City on Saturday because he may not have passed the required return-to-play deadline after suffering a head injury.
The midfielder was substituted early in Newcastle’s defeat away to Leeds United after appearing to suffer concussion. The match against Hull is scheduled for 3pm, but there is a possibility Gonzalez will not be cleared in time.
Newcastle assess Nico Gonzalez ahead of Hull clash
Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle said the club had a responsibility to remove Gonzalez from the game despite the player appearing to be fit to continue.
“Yeah, with Nico, you know, as the manager, and also we as a club, have the responsibility,” Jaissle said.
“He had that knock-out feeling, as you all saw. We were also responsible enough to take him off the pitch, even though he looked fine then, but there are also some rules, especially for that occasion.”
Jaissle added: “Independent of how important he is, and how important it is to win the match. We’re all human beings as well, and we take that seriously, so therefore we made the decision to take him off the pitch.”
Gonzalez joined Newcastle from Manchester City during the summer and has quickly emerged as an important part of the side. His absence would be a significant blow to Jaissle, particularly after Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali also left the club during the summer.
