Marlon Harewood loss no problem, says Peter Lovenkrands

Oct 15 2009 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

MARLON Harewood is struggling to be fit for Saturday’s televised visit to Nottingham Forest, but Peter Løvenkrands thinks Newcastle United are well equipped to cope if the on-loan striker is unable to play at the City Ground.

As recently as seven weeks ago an injury to just one Magpies forward, Shola Ameobi, was enough to prompt a full-blown crisis at St James’s Park.

However, the subsequent emergence of Nile Ranger, and the signings of Harewood and Løvenkrands have left manager Chris Hughton well equipped to cope with such dramas.

Harewood is due back in training this morning after having had to sit out recent sessions with a foot injury.

It is a worrying development from a player whose arrival on a three-month loan from Aston Villa was delayed while he recovered from a foot problem. Ranger withdrew from England Under-19 duty this week with a virus, but is expected to be available for the Forest match. That neither has to be rushed back into the starting line-up is a sign of how Newcastle have progressed in the short space of time since Ranger was pressed into service during his first games for the club as a lone striker because there was no other specialist to partner him.

It is not something which has

escaped Løvenkrands, who is keen to play a central role having been used out wide since joining as a free agent last month.

The Dane said: “We look very strong up front. We have a lot of good strikers to chose from, and all of us are capable of scoring at this level.

“Probably people thought with the players we lost over the summer, it would be difficult for us this season up front, but we now have plenty of options and I think we are starting to see that now.”