KIERAN TRIPPIER and Callum Wilson remain on track to return before the end of the season – but neither player will be involved in Newcastle United’s forthcoming matches with Crystal Palace and Norwich City.

Trippier and Wilson remain sidelined with the injuries that kept them out for the last two months, with the former nursing a foot problem and the latter continuing to recover from a combination of calf and Achilles issues.

The pair will not feature in Wednesday’s home game with Palace or next weekend’s trip to Norwich, but Howe remains hopeful they will feature before the end of the campaign, even if he admits the 12-point gap separating Newcastle from the relegation zone means he does not have to take any risks.

Howe said: “I don’t think either will be involved next week, whether that’s Crystal Palace or Norwich. Maybe after those games, who knows? I’m not putting a game on it.

“There’s a lot of unknowns. Neither player has really done too much on the grass yet, but they’re working towards that. Thankfully, we’re in a position at the moment where the team is in good form and we don’t have to rush them back. But we’ve still got enough games to go to hopefully see them before the end of the season.”

Both players should step up their recovery programmes this week, although it will still be some time before they take part in a full session with the rest of Newcastle’s first-team squad.

Howe said: “They’ll definitely be stepping it up, but I don’t think they’ll be with us at all. They won’t train with the group. There will be a handover period with Kieran where he will probably go with our sports science guys. That might happen at some stage soon, but it’s not happened yet. Both players are still with the physiotherapists.”