Chris Hughton relief as United beat flu bug

Oct 14 2009 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

CHRIS Hughton is a relieved man after a flu outbreak threatened to cause havoc to Newcastle’s preparations for the trip to Nottingham Forest this weekend.

The United training ground has been a contaminated zone over the last two weeks as a number of players and staff became ill and were forced to miss training as a result.

Hughton, however, is confident the worst is behind them after the club’s medical staff took a series of precautions to try and minimise the damage done to a squad which remains short on numbers in key areas. Hughton said: “It would probably have been the worst-case scenario if it had spread throughout the squad, but we have been OK.

“We have had a few players and staff who have gone down with the flu, that was last week and the week before.

“We are over that now and at the tail-end of it. The most important thing is that we are as professional as we can in terms of trying to contain it, which means using hand washes and so on.

“Because it’s a working environment, you have lads who change in the same changing room, so it is very susceptible to picking up bugs and viruses, so you have to protect them as much as you can.

“There is only so much you can do, though, but it seems as though we have escaped the worst of it.”

Hughton’s biggest worry ahead of the trip to Nottingham is the fitness of Fabricio Coloccini, who has missed the last two games with a groin strain, while he will also be hoping Zurab Khizanishvili and Jonás Gutiérrez return from international duty injury free.

He said: “We have Joey (Barton) and Shola (Ameobi) out longer term, but with Coloccini we are hopeful he will train on Thursday.

“He will be touch and go but we are hopeful he will be involved on Saturday.