Newcastle United fans were left “devastated” after Joe Willock was forced off with an injury in their Carabao Cup tie against Nottingham Forest.
Willock opened the scoring after just 18 seconds as Eddie Howe’s side drew 1-1 before winning the tie on penalties to progress to the next round.
But the joy of their eventual cup progress was clouded by Willock’s injury strike.
The midfielder suffered a knock on his leg during the game, which saw him lifted just 15 minutes into his first start of the season.
It comes after he missed a significant period of pre-season recovering from an earlier injury – an ankle problem that has kept him out since April.
Willock has been struggling with an Achilles tendon problem since November 2023 and only returned in February before being ruled out again just over a month later.
Now returning to Howe’s starting line-up, he looks set for another spell on the sidelines in what has been described as a “heartbreaking” turnaround.
Newcastle United fans, sent off by Joe Willock, hit out at Nottingham Forest
The 25-year-old has been plagued by injuries since his move to St James’ Park and has missed a total of 47 games since the 2021-22 season.
However, he has established himself as an important part of the squad when available and brings something different to Howe’s system.
Following the latest blow, fans flocked to social media to wish the midfielder well and express their best wishes and hopes for his speedy return.