Newcastle United's clash with Middlesbrough was only scrapped as a precaution with both sides agreeing to cancel Monday's friendly game.
The possibility of players allowing things to spill over so soon after Monday's heavy defeat was looked at as a pointless risk so close to the big kick off, with further injuries, from what in essence was a meaningless friendly, the last thing Newcastle or Boro need at the moment.
Boro boss Neil Warnock claimed Newcastle had seven injuries, but unavailability and international call-ups weren't factored into his comments on Thursday night.
Warnock had said: "Poor old Steve Bruce has about seven injuries for the Stoke game, so it's just not worth the risk of getting more injuries."
The bad-tempered clash - which saw Jamaal Lascelles sent off for a clash with Lewis Wing - meant that both players were ruled out of the encounter on Monday in a common-sense approach by both clubs so that the players could cool down after their clash at Rockcliffe.
Lascelles is one of the absentees that Warnock spoke of, along with players who were already injured before the first clash in Martin Dubravka (ankle), Dwight Gayle (knee) and Matty Longstaff (thigh strain).
The game would also have come too quickly for Jeff Hendrick, who faces Finland on Sunday evening in Dublin, and Emil Krafth who has a UEFA Nations League meeting with Portugal.
United's Paul Dummett also has a muscle problem but the injury is being monitored and Fabian Schar is only in light training after a dislocated shoulder.
With Joelinton and Yoshinori Muto also just easing their way back into things after missing most of pre-season training, it was deemed that two games in three days was too much of an ask for United just days before their opener at West Ham United at the London Stadium.
