Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe says he was really impressed with one player during training ahead of their Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest.
Newcastle next play Premier League match with Forest
The mood around Newcastle has been somewhat positive since winning the league for the first time in a few weeks.
Last Saturday’s 3-1 win over Brighton at St James’s Park ended a five-game losing streak in all competitions and gave Howe’s side a platform to end the season with some dignity – and the three points against Forest on Sunday afternoon will go a long way towards achieving just that.
Forest went into this game reeling from Thursday night’s Europa League defeat.
Vitor Pereira’s side lost 4-0 to Aston Villa in the second leg of the semi-final, losing 4-1 on aggregate, a devastating end to the most unlikely European game of the season.
The emotional hangover from that defeat will be real and an unfocused and depleted Forest side will probably be the most favored opponent Newcastle could face this weekend.
The manager was aiming to take over at Newcastle, but negotiations resulted in a move to Crystal Palace.
With Eddie Howe remaining, the Eagles have an opportunity.
Importantly for the visiting team, Forest may be without several key players due to injury. Morgan Gibbs-White, Murillo, Ola Aina and Dan Ndoye are all questionable for Newcastle and could take away vital qualities from Pereira.
There are injury concerns for the Magpies, but Howe could be given a boost behind the scenes by Nick Woltemade’s return to form.
Eddie Howe praises Nick Waltemaid during Newcastle training session
The German forward is Newcastle’s joint third-top scorer with seven goals and three assists in the top flight this season.
But Waltemade, who has been at the center of recent reports of discontent in the North East, has also been forced to take on more of a bit-part role behind in-form William Osla in recent weeks.
He was also left out of the starting XI last week and Howe addressed the situation directly in his press conference ahead of today’s trip to Nottingham, while also taking the trouble to praise what the 23-year-old has seen in training.
Newcastle’s head coach said: “Nick is fine.”
“There’s going to be some disappointment because everyone wanted to play. Nick has been practicing well.
“I think it’s been good for him and a lot of the other new players since we’ve been back to team training. It’s given them a better understanding of what we want them to do. I’m very impressed with all their attitudes.”
“He is dedicated and we really think highly of him and hope he does well.”
Woltemade, who joined last summer, could strive to return to contention for a starting spot based on these comments.
Newcastle sit 13th in the Premier League on 45 points with three games remaining and have long since lost any meaningful ambition beyond finishing the season on a high note.
Anthony Gordon is the club’s top scorer with 17 goals this season, but questions continue to mount over his future this summer, with interest from some of Europe’s leading players and some of England’s rivals.
The final two weeks of the campaign give Howe only a chance to give game time to a handful of fringe players and end on a positive note.
A win at the City Ground against a Forest team battered by European heartbreak and injury would be a fitting way to start that process.
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