JOE WILLOCK has emerged as an injury concern ahead of Newcastle United’s trip to West Ham United on Wednesday night.

Willock played a starring role as the Magpies beat Manchester United 2-0 yesterday, opening the scoring with a close-range header and making a number of effective breaks into the opposition’s 18-yard box.

However, the midfielder was unable to complete the game as he was taken off in the 83rd minute after feeling his hamstring.

It is hoped the problem was related to cramp rather than a muscular strain, but Newcastle’s medical staff will be monitoring Willock’s wellbeing closely in the build-up to Wednesday’s trip to the London Stadium.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said: “I’m unsure whether we’ve got any real knocks or not at the moment. Joe Willock is an obvious one to see because he was feeling his hamstring, but he wasn’t sure whether it was cramp or something more sinister.

“We’ll have to wait and see, and there were a couple more players just feeling little things because of the physical game that it was.”

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After Willock opened the scoring midway through the second half yesterday, Callum Wilson completed the scoring as he nodded home from a Kieran Trippier free-kick in the 88th minute.

The goal was Wilson’s first since he opened the scoring in February’s 1-1 draw with West Ham, and only his second in 18 matches for club and country, and while Howe never lost faith in his number nine, he admits he will be feeling a lot better now he is back on the goals trail.

He said: “I think Callum will be pleased. There’s no doubt about Callum’s quality and ability, and his desire to score goals remains as strong as I’ve ever seen it.

“He was in the right position at the right time, and that’s his hallmark really. It was a really good finish at an important time for us because we needed that second goal. It was an important cushion that it gave us.”