Eddie Howe will miss Newcastle’s match with Manchester United on Sunday after being admitted to hospital for tests late on Friday night.
The 47-year-old has been told he will not be discharged until Sunday at the earliest as medical staff assess an unspecified condition that kept him at home in bed during the latter part of last week. He was understood to still have been undergoing tests on Saturday afternoon.
Howe had felt unwell for most of last week following Monday night’s win at Leicester. The previous Thursday he had undergone prolonged dental treatment and warned journalists attending the next day’s weekly press conference that they might struggle to understand him following a “day at the dentist”.
In a statement released on Saturday afternoon afternoon Newcastle said the manager who led his players to last month’s Carabao Cup win over Liverpool at Wembley – the club’s first major piece of domestic silverware since 1955 – was “conscious, talking with his family and continuing to receive expert medical care”. The statement added that “everyone at Newcastle United extends their best wishes to Eddie for a speedy recovery and further updates will follow in due course.”
It leaves Jason Tindall, Howe’s long-serving assistant, in control against Ruben Amorim’s 13th-placed side at St James’ Park as Newcastle continue their push for Champions League qualification. Tindall took charge of the first match of Howe’s tenure – a 3-3 draw with Brentford in November 2021 – from the St James’ Park technical area after the manager tested positive for Covid and was forced to watch the game on television from his Tyneside hotel room.
Tindall deputised for Howe at Friday’s press conference and expressed surprise at the absence of his workaholic friend. “It’s really unusual for Eddie not to be well enough to come to work,” he said before adding that, despite being bedridden and “really poorly”, Howe had phoned him “three or four times a day” to discuss preparations for Manchester United’s visit.
after newsletter promotion
Although they have a game in hand on their rivals for a top‑five finish, Newcastle dropped to seventh on Saturday. They are one point behind fifth-placed Aston Villa and behind sixth-placed Chelsea – who face Ipswich at Stamford Bridge on Sunday – on goal difference. After the Manchester United game, Newcastle host Crystal Palace on Wednesday night before travelling to Aston Villa next Saturday.
Source: theguardian.com
