NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 28: Tino Livramento of Newcastle United is consoled by teammate Dan Burn following an injury during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Arsenal at St James’ Park on September 28, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
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Newcastle United defender Tino Livramento will be out for eight weeks with a knee ligament injury, Eddie Howe has confirmed.
Livramento, 22, was forced off in the 2-1 Premier League defeat to Arsenal last Sunday and missed the 4-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Howe said it will be tough to miss such a vital member of his squad for a while.
“He went to see a specialist, the scan initially looked better than we thought it was. The specialist confirmed it is an eight-week injury, which is a blow for us with the number of games we have in that period. It is a ligament injury and it will take time to recover.”
The former Chelsea defender suffered a more serious knee injury at Southampton before joining Newcastle in the summer of 2023, and there had been fears of as similar prognosis.
But Howe is hoping to welcome two other defenders back into the fold. Fabian Schar has been out for a number of weeks due to concussion protocols, while Lewis Hall is still managing his recovery from a broken foot suffered back in February.
Hall’s return to full fitness is a welcome boost in the wake of the Livramento news. In his absence, the England international, usually a right-back, had deputized excellently at left-back and Howe will hope Hall can find his form again quickly.
Dan Burn has filled in at left-back against both Arsenal and Union.
“Fab has been good, of course concussion protocols we respect and understand. He followed it and now he’s back and has been good,” Howe added.
“Lewis has been more complex, just trying to get him to feel totally confident in his body again. He is doing well, but we need to make sure we monitor his progress.”
Newcastle faces Nottingham Forest at St James’ Park on Sunday at 2pm BST (9am EST).
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 28: Tino Livramento of Newcastle is stretchered off with an injury during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Arsenal at St James’ Park on September 28, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
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Tino Livramento injury is very damaging for Newcastle United
Livramento has been one of Newcastle’s most consistent performers in 2025, which is extremely impressive given he has technically played out of position for its majority.
In fact, his form has been of such a standard that many fans have debated whether he is better at left-back than right-back. He performed excellently there for England under-21s during their successful European Championship title defence last summer, and latterly the senior national side this season.
Fans have been left wondering how Hall’s recovery is going because he is yet to re-emerge regularly into the first team despite being named in squads for a number of weeks. Newcastle’s approach to injury management is much stricter now than it was two years ago when it was last in the Champions League, with Performance Director James Bunce heavily involved in strategy.
Howe’s comments about monitoring his progress are very telling, with matches piling up already this season. The upcoming international break arrives at a good time to get him fully up to speed ahead of games with Brighton and Fulham in the Premier League, and Jose Mourinho’s Benfica, which heads to St James’ Park in the Champions League at the end of the month.
Burn is an excellent centre-back but his lack of pace is heavily exposed at left-back. Though he played there regularly in 2022-23 when Newcastle last qualified for the Champions League, a change of emphasis tactically, resulting in less intense midfield pressing, means it is easier for him to be targeted.
Livramento joins Yoane Wissa and Jacob Ramsey on the injury list; Ramsey could be back on Sunday but Wissa’s return date has been postponed, which is another blow. Given initial fears of another season-ending injury, there is a sense of relief in the air and an acceptance that Livramento’s situation could have been much worse.