Eddie Howe will not let his Newcastle United squad wallow in self-pity as they approach a massive week for the club. While the brusing blows of losing Anthony Gordon, Sven Botman and Lewis Hall are still being felt, the Magpies head coach knows his squad is still more than capable of ending the campaign on a high.
Gordon’s absence will be felt keenly at Wembley, but the England forward will be back at the start of April and no doubt desperate to make amends and help fire Newcastle towards a Champions League place. In the meantime, Howe will need every ounce of his renowned man-management skills to galvanise his side and show the world why they should never be written off.
If the pictures from training this week are anything to go by, it’s certainly not doom and gloom in the United camp. Alexander Isak, Tino Livramento and Kieran Trippier all shook off injury fears to take part in preparations for Monday night’s Premier League game at West Ham. Here’s what caught our eye.
Alexander Isak’s ready to go
After the blow of losing Hall, Botman and Gordon, the sight of Alexander Isak on the training pitch and looking in good spirits is a huge boost for everyone concerned. While there has been a downbeat note clouding Newcastle’s preparations, the fact United have one of Europe’s best strikers at their disposal can’t be overlooked. Seeing Isak smiling in training will gladden the hearts of everyone . . . apart from Virgil van Dijk and Arne Slot.
Call on Callum
While we all know how important Isak is to United’s success this season, Newcastle simply cannot afford to be over-reliant on the Swede. Step forward Callum Wilson. After a battle with injury that would test the toughest of souls, seeing Wilson laughing in training is ray of sunshine in what has been a hard week for the club.
United and Howe will need their No 9 firing on all cylinders as they look to take some of the weight from Isak’s shoulders – what price him bagging the winner at Wembley? Now that would be some story.
Gordon role
It won’t have been an easy few days for Anthony Gordon. The United star wears his heart on his sleeve on the pitch, and the defeat to Brighton after his red card will have hurt him almost as much as missing out on the Carabao Cup final.
But just as when Sandro Tonali was suspended for 10 months, he is still taking a key part in training. He won’t be able to take to the field until United travel to Leicester City on April 7, but it’s good to see him smiling in training this week.
Osula’s winging endorsement
Will Osula is quickly becoming something of a cult figure at Newcastle United, and it’s easy to see why the fans have taken to the Denmark Under-21 international. However, he is still finding minutes on the pitch hard to come by as Eddie Howe looks to nurture his raw talent.
We saw what he can do against Bromley and Birmingham City in the FA Cup, but with Wilson now close to full match fitness, it’s perhaps his wing play which could be most useful to United right now. Certainly pictures of him swinging in crosses could signify he may get more chances with Anthony Gordon suspended. If Howe wants an unknown factor to surprise West Ham and Liverpool, he could have one ready to go.
Pope in the picture
Now you can read too much into training pictures, but the fact Martin Dubravka wasn’t featured in the selection has raised a few eyebrows. One man who was certainly present was Nick Pope, with the former England shot-stopper looking to reclaim his place after being dropped to the bench against Brighton in the FA Cup. Dubravka did litle wrong against the Seagulls, while Pope looked a little rusty against Liverpool – but he was snapped in full flow this week. Another big decision looms . . .
Krafth works
With Hall and Botman ruled out, Swedish defender Emil Krafth is ready to step up to the plate as Howe looks at his defensive options. He may not capture many headlines, but the versatile defender has elevated his game since Howe took over, regularly coming into the side to perform under-the-radar heroics.
Don’t forget, he was at the heart of the defence which kept clean sheets against Manchester City and Manchester United last season, and deputised well for the suspended Fabian Schar at the start of the campaign. Now fully recovered from a shoulder injury, the 30-year-old will have a key role to play in the coming weeks.
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