Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has confirmed the Magpies are battling a serious outbreak of illness within the squad ahead of their clash with Athletic Club. Howe has a big decision to make regarding Bruno Guimarães, who has been training separately after the Toon’s newest star fell ill with the bug.
Kieran Trippier remains a doubt despite taking part in training sessions in preparation for the match against the Spanish team. Guimarães, Sandro Tonali, Trippier and Jacob Murphy have all fallen ill as Howe tries to protect the rest of his players.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the match against the La Liga side, Howe revealed: “Various players have picked up something. First Sandro, Jacob Murphy, Kieran and now Bruno. Regarding Bruno, we will make a decision tomorrow.”
Howe had both Nick Waltemaide and Anthony Gordon sent off as substitutes in Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to West Ham.
Coach Howe said of these changes: “With Nick, we’ve had him in almost every game, but he looked a little tired, so it was a decision that would benefit Nick and the team going forward.”
“In Anthony’s case, he has played very well in the Champions League but not so well in the Premier League. That is his challenge now.”
Despite their struggles domestically, Newcastle have achieved impressive results in European competitions.
A win against Athletic would take United to nine points in the Champions League and could move them closer to automatic qualification. “When you put on a performance like this, it’s never one-dimensional,” Howe said.
“This is a really important game for us as we know what awaits us in the Champions League. Athletic Club will be a formidable opponent. Defensively they are very well organized and have had some strong performances this year. But Champions League nights here are always special.”
“We’re in the midst of a series of very entertaining and very challenging games at the moment. We’re very disappointed with our inconsistency in the Premier League.”
“Ultimately, our recent results have been pretty good, but we haven’t been able to put them all together in the Premier League because there are so many competitions.
“I think man management is very important, whether you’re winning or losing. We try to be proactive with every player in every scenario, and we’re talking to the majority of our players about what is expected of them going into the next game.”
