Newcastle United are "really optimistic" that Kieran Trippier will be able to return to action in the near future, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The £12m January signing has been sidelined for over two months after breaking his foot in February, but he could be back out on the pitch shortly.

What has Eddie Howe said about Trippier?

When Trippier first picked up his injury, he was expected to be ruled out for at least six weeks.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe gave an update on his condition in early April, stating that a scan had shown that Trippier's foot was not healing quite as quickly as had been hoped.

However, Howe then delivered better news last week when he revealed Trippier was back out on the grass, and appeared to be "very slightly ahead of schedule".

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What has Jones said about Trippier?

Jones has claimed Newcastle are hopeful of getting Trippier back into the team soon, in order for the 35-cap international to get some much-needed game time before the season ends.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones said: “I know with Trippier, they’re really optimistic that he’s back very soon. And they’re really keen that he does get a few games in before the end of the season, not just for himself in terms of fitness, but because for the last couple of games of the season, they want to have their strongest team out there.

“They want to end the season with the best team they possibly can, with the best results they possibly can, to go into the summer full of optimism, and then try and convince some big names to come and join them. So, they’re really optimistic that Trippier is going to be part of that.”

Will Trippier go straight into Newcastle's starting XI when he returns?

This may have seemed like a stupid question a few weeks ago, but Newcastle have kept two clean sheets in their last three matches, and Emil Krafth has done very little wrong in Trippier's absence.

This is good news for Howe as it means that he will not necessarily need to throw Trippier straight back into his starting line-up.

Now that Newcastle have moved to 40 points, they are almost guaranteed their place in the Premier League next season, and this should allow Trippier to be eased back into action in the coming weeks.

Of course, Trippier is very likely to be starting right-back in the long run, and it would be useful to give him a couple of starts prior to the campaign concluding, but Howe should also be comfortable with handing Krafth more opportunities as well while Trippier finds his feet again.