Eddie Howe reveals his major Newcastle United squad challenge

Eddie Howe’s spoken about one of the challenges facing him over the coming months – keeping everyone happy.
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Howe has reunited Newcastle United behind the scenes since taking charge 13 months ago. And the club is third in the Premier League – and in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup – ahead of the domestic restart later this month.

A challenge for Howe, hit by a series of injuries to key players in the first half of the season, over the coming months is to keep his entire squad happy given that some players won’t be getting as much football as they want.

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Howe has used 24 players so far this season, but fewer could be used in the second half of the campaign if the club has better luck with injuries.

"I think if you look at the group, bar one or two injured players, everybody has had an opportunity, and has felt involved,” said United’s head coach, who has been away in Saudi Arabia with his squad this week.

"We haven't carried a big squad, and we’ve had a few injuries along the way.

"There have been times when our bench has been actually stretched, so we maybe don't have the depth of some other teams in the Premier League, but I do believe we have the quality.

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"There will naturally be a couple of players in the squad that’ll want more football – and that's part of my job to manage the situation."

Newcastle take on Rayo Vallecano in a friendly at St James’s Park next Saturday.