£40k-a-week Newcastle man has given Eddie Howe selection headache ahead of PSG clash

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Newcastle recorded another impressive victory yesterday, as they beat Burnley 2-0 at St James’ Park, but they still face a number of issues.

Defender Sven Botman is unlikely to feature in the next few games with injury, and this has created a dilemma for Eddie Howe, who has lost a crucial part of his back line.

Captain Jamaal Lascelles started in the Carabao Cup victory over Manchester City, and kept his place for the Burnley game, delivering strong performances in both wins despite hardly featuring for months.

With Newcastle hosting Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League in their next game, Eddie Howe now faces a tough decision. Whilst Lascelles has been solid in his two appearances, coming up against the likes of Kylian Mbappe will be a different test for the 29-year-old.

Back from the cold

Despite being club captain, Lascelles made just seven Premier League appearances last season, with two of these coming from the start.

The £40k-per-week star lost his place following Botman’s arrival, and the excellent form of Fabian Schar made it difficult for him to regain his place.

With this in mind, Howe may not be so keen to start Lascelles against PSG, and has the option of moving Dan Burn to centre-back, with an extra full-back coming in.

Kieran Trippier recently played at left-back for England, whilst Tino Livramento was outstanding on his full debut against Manchester City. This could potentially see a re-jig to the back line, with Trippier and Burn moving, and Livramento tasked with stopping Mbappe.

Howe has to now decide whether to keep the balance in his side with the experienced Lascelles, but risk the 29-year-old potentially being exposed against PSG, or disrupt his back line to fit the best possible personnel in to counter the French Champions’ threats out wide.