Key Takeaways
- Eddie Howe says he will battle ‘harder than ever’ to rescue Newcastle’s poor season.
- Newcastle may welcome back skipper Bruno Guimarães for the visit of Bournemouth.
- Liverpool hope Alexander Isak can ease the pain of Hugo Ekitike’s long Achilles lay-off.
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has promised fans he will fight with every drop of energy to pull the club clear of danger, insisting talk of a repeat of his Bournemouth exit is wide of the mark.
The Magpies sit 14th in the Premier League after three straight defeats, but Howe rejects claims he has run out of answers on Tyneside. “Each club is unique,” he said. “If leaving helps Newcastle, I would go. Yet I believe I am the right man and I will fight harder than I have ever fought before.”
Howe, set to face his former club Bournemouth on Saturday, admits speculation around Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Tino Livramento has not helped. “I will not pick anyone who is not 100 per cent committed to the badge,” he warned.
Captain Bruno Guimarães, out since February with hamstring trouble and then mumps, could return. Medical staff urge caution, yet Howe will make the final call.
Across the country, Liverpool manager Arne Slot hopes Alexander Isak can fill the void left by Hugo Ekitike, who ruptured an Achilles in Tuesday’s Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain and will miss the rest of the season and the World Cup. Isak, signed from Newcastle for a club-record £125 million, is fit again after four months out but is not ready for a full 90 minutes. “We planned for two strikers, and now we need Isak,” Slot said.