[ad_pod ]Newcastle's Paul Dummett took to Twitter to post an update of his progress as he recovers from an injury suffered on international duty with Wales - the full-back was forced off in the first half of a Nations League clash with Denmark on November 16 after landing awkwardly, as a result he missed the Magpies' 2-1 win over Burnley.

What's the word?

Well, the former St Mirren man, who captained boyhood club Newcastle for the first time at the end of August, posted a reassuring action snap from a training session accompanied by the caption 'Edging closer @NUFC' to Twitter on Thursday.

A flurry of supportive replies followed as fans were encouraged by the update, shown below...

The St James' Park faithful are surely hoping that the defender is fit sooner rather than later, but would his return to the line-up be more of a hinderance than a boost?

If it isn't broken...

Rafa Benitez was forced into a dramatic formation change after Dummett was sidelined as he brought a 5-4-1 to Turf Moor and, as his side beat Burnley 2-1 to claim a third consecutive Premier League win, this proved effective - the performances of Federico Fernandez and Fabian Schar in defence were immense and wing-backs Matt Ritchie and DeAndre Yedlin were dangerous going forward.

As the Toon Army prepare for a visit from Manuel Pellegrini's Hammers side, one thinks that sticking with the approach that brought them success against the Clarets is the wisest move to make as this formation gives them their best chance of nullifying the likes of Felipe Anderson.

Additionally, captain Jamaal Lascelles could return and, considering the recent performances of the aforementioned centre-backs, a five-man defence seems the logical option if the Englishman is to slot straight back in.

While summer signings Fernandez and Schar are in this kind of form and, especially if his side get a result against West Ham, there would be little reason to return to an orthodox 4-4-2 or for Dummett to come back into the starting XI.

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