NEWCASTLE UNITED SET TO BANK A JAW-DROPPING £75MILLION BOMBSHELL THAT WILL ABSOLUTELY OBLITERATE THE PREMIER LEAGUE LANDSCAPE FOREVER! YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHAT THEY’RE ABOUT TO DO WITH IT!
Eddie Howe is poised to receive a significant boost to his Newcastle United squad
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe is on the verge of receiving a significant lift to his starting XI—one that could reshape the team’s momentum in the weeks ahead.
Although Saturday’s clash with Manchester City may arrive a little too early, Howe is close to being able to field both Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall together for only the second time since February.
Newcastle have coped with several injury setbacks this season, but losing both of their attack-minded full-backs has been especially damaging.
These two players are central to Howe’s preferred style, and their absence has limited the Magpies’ dynamism on the flanks.
Hall, in particular, has endured a difficult spell. An ankle and foot injury kept him out of the Carabao Cup final triumph in March, and follow-up niggles slowed his return. However, he appears to have put those issues behind him.
After proving his sharpness with England’s Under-21s during the international break, Hall is now expected to start against Manchester City, especially with Dan Burn serving a suspension.
Howe will manage him carefully, but confidence is growing that his injury troubles are finally over.
Livramento’s layoff has been just as frustrating. The young full-back initially stepped in for Hall on the left side of the defence and impressed with his adaptability before suffering a knee injury against Arsenal in September.
He is now poised to make his comeback this weekend.
A place on the bench is more likely after two months out, but simply having him available again is a major boost for Howe and his squad.
This isn’t to say that Burn and Kieran Trippier have underperformed. Both have shown their usual dependability, though Burn is naturally more comfortable in a central role.
The real difference lies in what Hall and Livramento bring that others cannot—and how their presence elevates the players around them.
Newcastle’s wide attackers, for instance, gain immediate benefits.
With energetic, forward-thinking full-backs supporting them, wingers like Anthony Gordon and Jacob Murphy can push higher up the pitch.
The threat of overlapping runs forces opposition defenders into difficult decisions, making it far harder to double-mark United’s wide threats.
This improvement has a knock-on effect on Newcastle’s trademark high press, which has been strangely inconsistent this season.
Full-backs who can cover the length of the pitch allow the forward line to press more aggressively, with Sandro Tonali providing ideal cover in deeper areas.
The club holds long-term ambitions for a defensive unit featuring Livramento, Hall, Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman—yet this quartet has played together only once, during a clean-sheet stalemate at Bournemouth in September.
The sooner that defence becomes a regular fixture, the stronger Newcastle will be.
Both Livramento and Hall offer plenty individually, but their combined influence is even greater.
Their imminent return could prove to be a pivotal moment in Newcastle’s campaign.
