Rafael Benitez has admitted to the Chronicle that he watched Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle in training on Saturday, to gauge his fitness.
Gayle has been out for much of 2017 so far with a hamstring injury, and his initial comeback was short lived.
The striker attempted to play against Aston Villa, but he had to be substituted off in the first half.
Gayle was then forced to sit on the sidelines for Newcastle’s match against Bristol City yesterday, which the Magpies drew 2-2.
There were fears that Gayle could miss up to another month’s worth of action, when he first limped off against Villa.
However, Benitez has hinted that Gayle could now have a chance of playing against Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday evening.
“I watched him on Saturday morning, he was training, so we will see how he feels,” Benitez said.
“He will have a chance against Brighton.
“It more or less depends on him how he feels.”
Newcastle’s match against Brighton is huge, and the winners will be in a very commanding position in the race for promotion to the Premier League.
As things stand, Brighton are one point ahead of Newcastle at the top of the Championship table.