‘Hopefully’: Eddie Howe says £13m Newcastle player has looked really good in training ahead of Fulham

Eddie Howe will have to make at least one alteration to his Newcastle United starting lineup against Fulham.

Kieran Trippier is poised to miss Saturday’s encounter at St James’ Park due to suspension. He received his fifth yellow card of the season against Tottenham, preventing him from facing an in-form Fulham team.

Eddie Howe will have to adjust his defense, with Tino Livramento set to go to the right, which is his favorite position.

This leaves a vacancy at left-back, which appeared to be going to Lewis Hall, who has been struggling for minutes recently.

Those troubles appear to be continuing, with Dan Burn making a miraculous return from injury this week. He returned to the bench for the Champions League final against AC Milan, coming in late in the second half.

With the £13million man back in contention, it appears that he will start ahead of Hall, and Eddie Howe has revealed that the local kid has looked outstanding in training ahead of the Fulham encounter.

Eddie Howe pleased with how Dan Burn is training

 

 

Howe talked to the media ahead of the Fulham game, and was asked about Dan Burn’s injury comeback after the defender revealed that he had pushed hard to return sooner than planned.

“Dan’s is more a pain management issue, his injury, rather than a reoccurrence issue,” that’s what he said.
“He’s done exceptionally well. He’s looked great in practice. He is no longer in agony, which is the most important thing for him, and hopefully he will continue to progress.”

Newcastle need another leader against Fulham with Kieran Trippier absent

With Trippier out, Howe will be without a leader on the field. That is another reason why Burn is more likely to start than Hall, even though fans want to see the 19-year-old receive a shot.

His time will come, but Howe will most likely rely on Burn’s experience to put a halt to the rot. Newcastle have now lost three games in a row, including Wednesday’s crushing defeat to AC Milan, which effectively terminated our European trip.

The Magpies must win against Fulham, and Burn will be eager to get back to his best after being sidelined.

It’s great to hear he’s pain-free after such a harrowing back injury, and perhaps that will continue when he faces his former club on Saturday.