JACOB Murphy and Jamaal Lascelles missed Newcastle United's pre-season win at Gateshead because of injury but both are expected to be back in action soon.
And Eddie Howe has also provided a positive update on Nick Pope and Joe Willock, with the pair both making good progress and expected to be fit to return to full training during the upcoming trip to the United States.
Newcastle kicked off their summer campaign with a come from behind 3-2 win at Gateshead, with Elliot Anderson, Allan Saint-Maximin and substitute Jay Turner-Cooke getting the goals in the second half.
Howe was forced to name a makeshift team with the international players having just resumed training having been given an extended break. And Murphy and Lascelles were also missing.
Howe explained: "Jacob has a shoulder injury. We don't think it's serious, we hope he'll be back very soon. Jamaal has a tight muscle and we hope he'll be back very soon."
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Pope had surgery on a finger problem at the start of the summer, while Willock suffered a hamstring injury at the end of last season but both are now close to re-joining the squad.
Howe said: "Nick Pope is doing well. He's doing light handling now, so he's made good progress from his finger injury and we hope he'll back available to play, in and around the America trip, maybe just after.
"Joe Willock is making good progress. He hasn't trained with us yet but is on track to train with us in America."
Howe was pleased with the workout at Gateshead.
He said: "It was a really good pre-season game. You want to win, of course, and play well but that was a really good challenge for us. Gateshead were very good, which was no surprise.
"We were a bit rusty. The players had a really hard week so we were a bit leggy in that first half, but the character was good and it was important we came back and showed the real us."
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