Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterNewcastle's 4-1 defeat to Leeds United at Elland Road on Monday night has triggered something of a knock-on effect, leaving head coach Matthias Jaissle facing a selection crisis ahead of this weekends fixture against Hull City.Aside from the pain of a comprehensive beating in West Yorkshire, Jaissle now has fewer options available to him than when the game began.The Magpies lost key wing option Anthony Elanga before kick-off, while midfielder Jacob Ramsey remained an unused substitute on the night.Newcastle facing injury crisisAddressing the worsening injury situation post-match, Jaissle offered an unwelcome assessment of Elanga's condition."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." You may like Newcastle United end lengthy drought at Millwall after Matthias Jaissle's bold selection call Why new Newcastle United boss Matthias Jaissle learned the task is harder than he thought, from this weekend's double-header of friendlies This is the real reason Eddie Howe has left Newcastle, not embarrassing pre-season friendly defeat The manager was equally pessimistic about Ramsey, who was unable to take to the field despite being named among the substitutes."The simple way to explain that is he felt his thigh in the warm-up so he was not able to play tonight.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over."That was the next challenge. Tonight the story was many things came together. It does not look good for the weekend at the moment."The less-than-ideal injury scenario continued during the match itself when midfielder Nico Gonzalez was forced off in the first half following a blow to the head.Jaissle emphasised that the club prioritised player welfare over match circumstances in enforcing mandatory concussion protocols: "With Nico, as a manager and we as a club, we have the responsibility if he has that knock out feeling as we all saw. 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 to take him off the pitch."The potential absence of Elanga, Ramsey, and Nico compounds an already busy medical room at St James' Park.First-team stalwarts Joelinton and Dan Burn remain sidelined with ongoing injuries, while right-back Amar Dedic is seemingly not 100% after being withdrawn in the second half against Leeds, having entered the contest carrying a knock from last week's tie against Millwall. Furthermore, FourFourTwo understands Will Osula has been wearing a protective boot since sustaining a foot injury on the opening weekend against Liverpool. He is expected to be out of action until after the international break.With half a dozen key first-team figures potentially unavailable, what should have been an opportunity to bounce back against newly-promoted Hull City has morphed into a tactical headache.TOPICSAnthony ElangaNewcastle UnitedHull CityJoe DonnohueSocial Links NavigationSenior Digital WriterJoe joined FourFourTwo as senior digital writer in July 2025 after five years covering Leeds United in the Championship and Premier League. Joe's 'Mastermind' specialist subject is 2000s-era Newcastle United having had a season ticket at St. James' Park for 10 years before relocating to Leeds and later London. Joe takes a keen interest in youth football, covering PL2, U21 Euros, as well as U20 and U17 World Cups in the past, in addition to hosting the industry-leading football recruitment-focused SCOUTED podcast. He is also one of the lucky few to have 'hit top bins' as a contestant on Soccer AM. It wasn't a shin-roller.
