Newcastle could be handed a major fitness boost against Huddersfield as the club are hopeful Islam Slimani will be able to make his debut.

According to the Chronicle, Newcastle feel there is a chance Islam Slimani will be fit enough to take a place on the bench against Huddersfield later this month.

Slimani joined Newcastle on loan from Leicester after the Magpies’ move for Danish goal machine Nicolai Jorgensen fell through. The 29 year-old has not kicked a ball since his move to Tyneside though because of a thigh injury.

https://video.footballfancast.com/video-2015/most-injured.mp4

Newcastle fans were angered by the recent news that Slimani was training with Algeria and might even play for his national side, but the striker was left out of their 4-1 friendly win over Tanzania.

Now, reports suggest the club are hopeful the Algerian target man can feature against Huddersfield, where a win could all but secure Newcastle’s Premier League status.

Slimani hasn’t particularly impressed since arriving in England, but there’s no doubting his goalscoring ability. He scored 27 league goals in his last full season in Portugal, and averaged a goal every 180 minutes in his first season with Leicester, not a terrible number for someone supposedly struggling to adapt to English football.

Newcastle fans, would you like to see Slimani feature vs Huddersfield? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…