7 Things Newcastle Fans Need To Know About Henri Saivet

5. His Injury Record Isn't Great

Saivet's career to date was, until recently, largely injury free. However the summer of 2014 brought with it a number of niggles and sustained layoffs that the player hasn't quite been able to shift. Meriting a measly 14 appearances last season, only 7 of which were league starts, he's missed nearly 200 days through injury in recent season. These include problems with his ankle, hamstring, thigh muscle and knee. Something which is surely a factor in his relatively low price-tag. Given Newcastle's catastrophic history with muscle injuries over the last decade, Saivet will need to be carefully managed if he's to find any levels of form or fitness during his time at St James' Park. Regardless of the player's relative low-cost or expected role in the squad, he's a worthless acquisition if he's likely to spend more time on the treatment table than he is on the field. Watch this space for any number of observations relating to the folly of bringing a player with well-publicised fitness issues into a league that places greater physical stress on their body. Newcastle have found to their cost in recent seasons that a career in Ligue 1 doesn't necessarily prepare a player for the physicality of the Premier League.