Newcastle United players say Joe Willock is not too badly injured after he was stretchered off against K-League XI | OneFootball

Newcastle United players have claimed that Joe Willock’s injury does not look too bad after he was stretchered off in the friendly between the St James’ Park club and the K-League XI in South Korea earlier today, according to the Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope.

The Newcastle star looked in discomfort after a challenge he made went wrong, and he immediately signalled to the dugout after clutching the back of his ankle.

The Magpies lost 1-0 to the South Korean team but potentially losing Willock to a long-term injury three weeks before the start of the new season would have left manager Eddie Howe gutted.

However, it appears the 25-year-old has escaped a serious injury after the update from his teammates.

Newcastle started pre-season preparations with a 4-0 victory over Carlisle but have lost 4-0 to Celtic, 3-2 to Arsenal and 1-0 to K-League XI since then.

They return to action on Sunday when they take on Tottenham Hotspur before further matches against Espanyol and Atletico Madrid.

Their 2025-26 Premier League campaign begins with a trip to Villa Park to face Aston Villa on August 16, and Howe will be looking forward to starting the season on a winning note.

Newcastle host Liverpool afterwards and could be facing the wantaway Alexander Isak if his wish to join the Reds before the summer transfer window shuts is fulfilled.

The Toons are already preparing for life without the Sweden international striker and have reportedly identified Fulham star Rodrigo Muniz as a potential replacement after RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko expressed a willingness to join Manchester United ahead of them.

Newcastle have struggled to sign most of their attacking targets this summer, with Hugo Ekitike, Liam Delap and Joao Pedro moving elsewhere while Brentford have blocked Yoane Wissa from leaving despite his desire to join the Toons.