Things aren't going well for Newcastle United at the moment and they have now suffered a fresh injury blow alongside the concern for Sven Botman, according to a new update.

Who is injured for Newcastle?

The Magpies had such an impressive season last time around, finishing fourth in the Premier League and getting back into the Champions League, but things aren't going to plan in 2023/24 to date.

Having cruised to an emphatic 5-1 win at home to Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the campaign, things have gone very wrong since, with three defeats in a row. They were beaten 1-0 away to Manchester City, which certainly wasn't a disaster, but losing to 10-man Liverpool was hugely disappointing, as was Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Brighton.

It means the mood at St James' Park is fairly bleak heading into the international break, and the absence of the influential Botman was felt against Brighton, with Newcastle looking more open at the back without him around. Joe Willock is also currently absent, having not yet featured this season, and now another blow has emerged during the international break.

Is Alex Murphy injured for Newcastle?

According to an update from Newcastle World, Magpies youngster Alex Murphy has now also been sidelined through injury, being ruled out of the international break:

"Newcastle United’s young defender Alex Murphy has been forced to withdraw from international duty because of injury. The 19-year-old was called up to the Republic of Ireland’s Under-21 squad for Euro qualifiers against Turkey and San Marino but has been replaced by Wigan Athletic defender Baba Adeeko.

"In a statement released by Ireland on Monday morning, they revealed Murphy suffered an injury during the young Magpies’ 4-0 defeat to Manchester City Under-21s on Saturday and was therefore unavailable."

While Murphy certainly isn't a key man at Newcastle currently, this is still clearly another setback at a difficult time for the Magpies, with Eddie Howe no doubt beginning to feel like the world is against him and his depth is dwindling – there are also rumours about Joelinton's fitness.

The 19-year-old is a talented centre-back who has made 22 appearances for the Under-21s, not to mention winning nine caps for the Republic of Ireland's Under-19s, while Howe himself has lauded him in the past, saying:

"I thought he was excellent, really really good. It's a very tough environment to come into, especially slightly out of position. But he was very composed, and defended really well. I was really, really pleased with him.

"I've always liked Alex. I think he's a very good technician. But it's really when you find out about players when you're in this environment- a full crowd, Premier League opposition. He can be very pleased with his night's work."

The hope is that Murphy's absence is only a short-term one, allowing him to be fit once the international break is over, as he continues to mature as a footballer and hopefully push for first-team football in the near future.

More important for Newcastle right now is getting Botman back fit, though, with the centre-back someone who the Magpies cannot afford to be without for an extended period of time, as the defeat away to Brighton showed, with goals conceded simply too easily.