Everything Eddie Howe touches at Newcastle United turns to gold.
There is not much that Eddie Howe has got wrong at Newcastle United, and that has proven to be the case once again during the current international break.
The Magpies have been rocked by injury news, with Lewis Miley pulling out of the England Under-21s squad. He has suffered a calf problem, ruling him out of games against Moldova and Andorra.
Fortunately, the hope is that Miley will not be absent for any of Newcastle United’s upcoming games. That is positive, as the Magpies get set to continue their relentless schedule.
Howe will be glad that Miley is expected to be fine for the return of domestic football, but the injury scare does reinforce that he made the right decision regarding Jacob Ramsey’s comeback.
Eddie Howe proven right after delaying Jacob Ramsey’s return
Ahead of Newcastle’s win over Nottingham Forest, Howe confirmed that Ramsey was in contention to return to the squad after an ankle injury.
That was a real boost for the Toon Army, and the expectation was that he would be on the bench for the game against Ange Postecoglou’s side.
But as Newcastle went on to win 2-0 thanks to goals from Bruno Guimaraes and Nick Woltemade, Ramsey was nowhere to be seen.
After the game, Howe explained why the summer signing had not been named in the Newcastle United squad.
“He’s trained for two days, I just made the decision that I didn’t want to risk him and potentially set him back again,” he said.
“I want to give him the two weeks of the international break to make sure he’s ready for the next game.”
Miley’s injury scare proves how sensible that decision was, as Newcastle need as many options as possible in midfield as they get set to continue playing two games a week for the foreseeable future.
Not risking Ramsey was the right call, and it will be exciting to see him in action when the Magpies face Brighton on 18th October.
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Jacob Ramsey can put Joelinton under pressure at Newcastle United
Summer signings Nick Woltemade and Malick Thiaw have hit the ground running at St James’ Park. They have already proven to be exceptional additions to Eddie Howe’s squad.
However, the jury is still out on Ramsey. That is because of injury, with the 24-year-old limited to just two appearances for his new club.
Ramsey has not had the opportunity to justify his £43million arrival, but that should soon change. He is an immensely talented midfielder, and is certainly capable of pushing for a place in the Newcastle United starting XI.
The one player who should be worried about that prospect is Joelinton. Realistically, he is the only centre-midfielder who could lose his place in the Magpies’ starting lineup.
Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali are undroppable, and rightly so. They are performing incredibly well, and are key figures in the way that Howe wants to play.
The same can be said about Joelinton, but there is an argument that he does not offer enough on the ball. The £40million man was poor during the win over Nottingham Forest, but his place in the side will only come under threat if Ramsey shines in black and white upon his return from injury.
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