Eddie Howe praises strength of squad during long-term lay offs for England duo


 Eddie Howe feels that Newcastle United's squad strength shone through during long-term lay offs for stars like Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson.

The duo have missed a large chunk of action in 2022 with foot and calf issues respectively but they could both be back in the squad for the trip to Manchester City on Sunday. Howe has watched Wilson train for most of the week while Trippier has also been back with his team-mates on the grass.

Howe said: "It says a lot about the quality of the squad, the unity of the squad, because whenever you lose key players there is a damage psychologically to the group to say ‘Can we cope without them?’.

"Then there are question marks, whether other players can step up and fill the void. "The great thing is from our perspective that we have.

"We have a group that has really stepped up and everyone has given more and we’ve been very consistent in that, so it’s been great to see."

United boss Howe has a tough decision to make in his attack. Chris Wood has started the last two matches on the bench with Allan Saint-Maximin starting out of position and ahead of the £25million striker.

And with Wilson back it means Dwight Gayle will be watching on to see where he is used against Man City. Wilson stated he was "fully charged" suggesting he believes he is fit enough to start.

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