Howe issues injury update, Man City message, confirms transfer plan & responds to Klopp
Ahead of tomorrow night's trip to the Etihad, Eddie Howe has been speaking to the press about all things Newcastle United (You can watch his presser in full here).
He's confirmed that the squad are "in a good place", but doesn't think we'll have anyone returning from injury - meaning Joe Willock (hamstring), Emil Krafth (ACL) and Javier Manquillo (groin) will miss out again.
The boss has also urged his team to "be ourselves" and refuse to compromise on our style of play for tomorrow's 8pm kick-off at Man City, believing it's vital that we have a "clear identity" if we want to become a top team. On the subject of top teams, he's warned that Pep Guardiola's side will "not be complacent" - even if they've only just returned from Wednesday night's Super Cup clash with Sevilla.
On transfers, Howe has confirmed that Lewis Hall is close to sealing a loan move, but warns that any move for the Chelsea left-back will be our last incoming deal of the summer - unless we suffer an injury over the fortnight.
Howe has also responded to Jurgen Klopp's comments about our activity in the technical area, accepting that he and Jason Tindall are very active on the touchline and must adapt to the new ruling.
Here's what Howe had to say on all of the above, starting with his brief injury update:
“I don’t think we have anyone returning from injury but the majority of the squad are in a good place.”
Howe's message to his Newcastle players:
"We want our players to go there with all the positive emotions that our season last year and our first game of this season should bring.
“We have to be ourselves. We can't change. We want to become a top team consistently in the Premier League and to do that we have to have a clear identity and try to implement that on other teams.
Howe on Man City:
"They went into a tough game [in the Super Cup] and were desperate to win, you could see their reactions afterwards. This is a team that will not be complacent. They will be ready for us so we expect a really good game."
Howe's response to Jurgen Klopp:
“I think the (tech area) rules do impact us slightly more than other teams just because of the way we work historically. I thought we dovetailed quite well last week — it wasn’t too bad. The design from us isn’t to annoy people, it’s just to win.”
Howe's transfer update on Hall and future signings:
“Let’s see what happens today. He (Hall) is a player I like — very versatile with really good potential for the future.
"I don’t want to give a one word answer but yes I think it is (a loan deal with an obligation to buy).
“If we do bring a player in (Hall), that will be our transfer business concluded, unless injuries."
