Eddie Howe ‘ecstatic’ after ‘brilliant’ Newcastle development – pundit
Alan Hutton has suggested Newcastle boss Eddie Howe will be “ecstatic” with his side’s recent form.
The former Scotland defender, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed the Magpies have looked “brilliant” defensively in recent games.
Newcastle moved four points clear of relegation danger with a 1-1 draw against Champions League contenders West Ham on Saturday (19 February), despite the absences of Callum Wilson, Allan Saint-Maximin, and Kieran Trippier.
Wilson and Trippier are both long-term injuries, while Saint-Maximin could return to action for this Saturday’s (26 February) trip to Brentford.
Hutton suggested Newcastle are benefitting from a “massive” confidence boost in the wake of their bumper transfer window.
“Eddie Howe will be ecstatic at the moment,” he told Football Insider‘s Russell Edge.
“If you think about the recent games, the points they’ve picked up, they’ve dragged themselves away. There’s a four-point gap now, and the confidence they’ll get from that is massive.
“I can’t see Watford, Burnley, or Norwich being able to go on a run like that. So if Newcastle can stick to what they’re doing then it’s looking good for them.
“Defensively they’ve looked brilliant, they’re not conceding as many goals. If they can build on this momentum now, they’ll be well out of it.
“I always felt that if they spent well in January they could get themselves out of trouble, and that’s coming true now.”
Trippier, Dan Burn, Bruno Guimaraes, and Matt Targett all came in as Newcastle bolstered their survival credentials last month.
The Magpies could stretch their unbeaten run to seven games against Brentford this weekend.
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