Eddie Howe ‘absolutley buzzing’ amid ‘big’ Newcastle United development – pundit
Newcastle United will be delighted by the lack of game time their players are getting at the World Cup.
That’s according to former Hibernian striker Tam McManus, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the Magpies’ representatives in Qatar.
Nick Pope and Fabian Schar are yet to feature at the World Cup while Callum Wilson and Bruno Guimaraes have been limited to substitute appearances.
McManus insists the lack of game time is a good thing for the Magpies.
“It’s a difficult one, you want to see your players performing on the biggest stage but you also want them fit for the second half of the season,” McManus told Football Insider‘s Ben Wild.
“Bruno Guimaraes is the big one, isn’t he? If he was to get injured for a few months then it would leave Newcastle in a really tricky spot.
“He has made himself the lynchpin of that team from the second he came through the door and he is only getting better.
“So to see him only get about 20 minutes the other night was probably a blessing for Newcastle. Eddie Howe was somewhere in Newcastle absolutely buzzing that his best player isn’t injured.
“Wilson is playing a bit more than Bruno but he isn’t getting proper minutes really. Newcastle also don’t rely on him as much as they used to so him being injured wouldn’t be the end of the world.
“Newcastle aren’t the only team in this position as well, that has to be said. It’s a big thing every club is dealing with.
“Every manager at every club will be watching their players play, hoping they walk off the pitch at the end of the game.
“If Newcastle are to go for the Champions League places then they need Guimaraes fit, so if he stays on the bench then that’s probably a good thing for them.”
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