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Rafa Benitez is extremely proud of Newcastle United’s injury record this season - and with good reason.

For a club who used eight separate players at left-back during the 2015/16 campaign - primarily due to chronic fitness problems which afflicted the squad - to now boast a record which has seen the Magpies record the third-fewest injuries in the Premier League so far this season is an extremely impressive feat.

Heading into Saturday’s trip to AFC Bournemouth, Newcastle could even have an entirely clear treatment room; Islam Slimani is expected to make his debut, Ciaran Clark should have recovered from his minor knee problem, while Jesus Gamez could also return after an extended spell on the sidelines, which means there are currently no long-term absentees in the Magpies squad.

During the summer of 2016, Benitez oversaw a makeover of the Magpies’ Benton Training Centre - with the rest, recuperation and wellbeing of his players placed at the very heart of the changes he affected.

Clearly those alterations, as well as the Spaniard’s close communication with his medical staff, and the way in which Newcastle players’ workloads are managed across the course of the entire season, is paying dividends.

According to extensive research compiled by JLT Speciality and their ‘Premier League Injury Index’, Newcastle are outperforming the vast majority of their top-flight rivals when it comes to the prevention and management of injuries.

Up until January 31, the Magpies had suffered just 15 injuries in 2017/18 - the second-lowest in the Premier League, behind only Brighton and Hove Albion (14). The top-flight average is 22 injuries per team, with West Ham United having suffered almost three times that of Newcastle - with a staggering 41 already this term.

And, though the total number of days missed by Magpies due to injury (691) is just above the Premier League average of 677, that is actually a positive in some respects. During the 2015/16 campaign, Newcastle players were struck down by a succession of soft-tissue problems - injuries which are seen as ‘preventable’. This term, however, the number of soft-tissue injuries has decreased, mainly being replaced by more serious problems.

Discounting Paul Dummett’s hamstring problem, which kept the left-back sidelined for four months, then the longest absentee this season has been Florian Lejeune, who was struck down with an ankle injury following an awful tackle from Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane.

Meanwhile, in terms of the average number of players who have been unavailable for any given fixture, Newcastle are mid-table with 3.6 - which is almost half as many as Watford, who have been unable to call upon 7.1 members of their squad per match.

But JLT’s ‘Injury Index’ not only calculates the number of injuries to afflict each squad, but also the financial cost incurred by the 20 Premier League clubs during that time.

By combining both the length of the injury and the wages earned by a player during their period of fitness-enforced absence, JLT has uncovered quantifiable financial figures.

Newcastle have paid out approximately £2.8million in wages to injured players so far this season - a figure which is expected to rise to more than £2.9m once currently-sidelined Magpies return from their current lay-offs.

Only Huddersfield Town and Brighton and Hove Albion have spent less on the wages of injured players, and perhaps it is unsurprising to see the three promoted sides towards the bottom of that table given the likely lower salaries of their playing staff. Manchester United, meanwhile, have parted with a league-high £15.8m - and the Premier League average is £6.7m, almost three times that which Newcastle have spent.

Interestingly, the average cost of an injury to Newcastle this season is £194,000 - which is also among the lowest in the top flight.

Seemingly, when compared to the majority of their Premier League rivals, Newcastle are bucking the trend when it comes to injury absentees and the cost incurred as a result of fitness-related lay-offs.

As Duncan Fraser, head of sport at JLT, explains: “With the average cost of injuries rising for another year, and the number of injuries also rising at this point last season, the overall total lost by clubs looks set to eclipse the 2016/17 season total.

“With many of the soft-tissue injuries being down to fatigue, these figures will raise questions about fixture pile ups, especially with the rising costs involved.

“Many will welcome the fact that the Premier League is considering the implementation of a winter break, which may mitigate injuries and associated costs that result from a strenuous winter schedule.”

While the number of injuries in the Premier League as a whole may be rising, at Newcastle it has fallen significantly. In 2014/15 the Magpies suffered 22 separate injuries, while that number reached a staggering 28 the season after.

Benitez and his coaching staff have expended a significant amount of energy attempting to improve the fitness record of the Newcastle squad - and the statistics suggest their reforms have had the desired impact.

When it comes to the Premier League relegation battle during a season in which a dozen teams could realistically still drop down into the Championship, such fine margins could prove crucial. Keeping first-team players fitter for longer, particularly in a squad with lacks top-flight depth, could be the difference between survival and demotion, after all.

Newcastle United injury stats (2017/18)*:

Injuries so far this season: 15

Total days out due to injury: 691

Average number of unavailable players per match: 3.6

Cost incurred from injuries: £2,808,722

Projected total cost incurred from injuries across 2017/18: £2,916,478

Average cost of injury: £194,432

Newcastle United Premier League injury stats by season*:

2011/12: 17

2012/13: 30

2013/14: 16

2014/15: 22

2015/16: 28

2017/18: 15

* Information provided by JLT Speciality . JLT’s ‘Premier League Injury Index’ counts injuries which caused players to miss at least one league match - while the wages are derived from Sporting Intelligence Global Sports Salaries Survey 2017.