Newcastle’s Jetro Willems shares when he hopes to be back in action, comments on future

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Newcastle United on-loan left-back Jetro Willems has given an update on his injury rehabilitation as well as his hopes for the future, when he’s back to fitness.

The Magpies brought the 26-year-old on loan to St James’ Park from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer, the Daily Mail reporting that the deal includes an option to buy.

Willems has made 19 Premier League appearances this season, plus one in the League Cup, but has been out of action since suffering a cruciate ligament injury in January.

Speaking to Frankfurt’s official website, Willems – who is currently back in his native Netherlands with his family after football was suspended due to the global health crisis – gave an insight into his recovery.

“I’m feeling really good,” he said. “At the moment I’m staying with my family in the Netherlands, where I can take the time to recover. The knee feels better every day, I’m heading in the right direction and I’m looking forward, not backwards. It’s all good.

“I’m currently completing my recovery programme here in the Netherlands and concentrating more on the physical side of things, including a lot of exercises at home in the gym. Running is also a part of it of course and I’m working on a lot of different areas, not just on the knee but on my whole body.”

When asked when he expects to be back in action, Willems replied: “If everything goes to plan then August. And I hope that my comeback will be in a stadium where fans are allowed, but I know that is something that is hard to imagine for the foreseeable future.

“But whenever we do all finally get through this, I’ll enjoy the matches all the more. The same goes for life in general, which until recently we’d all taken for granted.”

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It’s great to read about Willems being back on the mend and giving an estimated return date, though with everything up in the air at the minute, it’s difficult to say whether it’ll be for Newcastle or for Frankfurt.

That said, given the reports of Newcastle having an option to buy, and the player himself having previously admitted that a permanent switch to SJP “would be nice” (Daily Mail), there’s no reason why he couldn’t be permanently in the black and white stripes come the summer.