Eddie Howe will have the chance to work closely with some of his Newcastle United players over the course of the international break.
While much of the Newcastle United squad are set to travel around the globe to play in various friendlies and World Cup qualifiers for their respective countries, there will be some who remain on Tyneside.
Howe will not have had much time to work with his players on an individual basis this season. Newcastle’s fixture schedule has been relentless, robbing the Toon boss of some crucial time on the training pitch.
The Newcastle United manager will have a small group to work with, however.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the Newcastle players Howe must work closely with over the international break.
Jacob Ramsey
Summer signing Jacob Ramsey is fit again, although he wasn’t included in the squad for Sunday’s win over Nottingham Forest.
Howe didn’t want to risk the former Aston Villa midfielder, who suffered an ankle injury in August.
That was a wise decision to take, and Howe will surely use their time together to his advantage.
Ramsey impressed on his Newcastle debut and reports suggest those inside the club are excited about his potential.
Now able to train again, Howe can further embed him into Newcastle’s brand of football. It’s been a frustrating start to his Newcastle career but his return from injury comes at the best possible time.
Joe Willock
Joe Willock is struggling for game time at Newcastle this season. Even with Howe’s rotation policy in mind, he’s still only recorded 115 minutes of action.
Howe has addressed Willock’s lack of game time and claimed the former Arsenal youngster – like any player in his position – has to impress him at the Newcastle United training ground.
Willock has previously been a key player at Newcastle but has fallen way down the pecking order now.
If Howe can use this time together to get Willock back to anywhere near approaching his best, it’d be a major boost for Newcastle.
Jacob Murphy
Jacob Murphy will surely be happy with the timing of the break. While the winger has already recorded two assists this season, the start to his campaign has been slowed by a slight Achilles issue.
As such, having the time to further recover and get fully fit will be a major boost.
Murphy, at his best, was a force to be reckoned with last season. No doubt keen to win his starting place back from Anthony Elanga, Howe can hopefully use the break to get the 30-year-old fully back up to speed.
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