NEWCASTLE: Eddie Howe could yet return to the Newcastle United dugout for next weekend’s Premier League trip to Arsenal despite testing positive for COVID-19, his assistant Jason Tindall said Saturday.
Howe missed Newcastle’s 3-3 draw with Brentford, scheduled to be his first game in the home dugout, after returning a coronavirus positive on Friday.
UK COVID-19 protocols state that Howe must quarantine for 10 days from the positive test or from when symptoms first started, which many thought would rule him out of the Emirates encounter.
But Tindall remains hopeful his boss might return in London, depending on the word of the club’s medical staff.
“Hopefully we can have Ed back before the Arsenal game,” he said.
“We’re just waiting on the doctor for that. That’s a little bit out of our hands and control. Ed will be a big influence on how we prepare.”
On the performance itself, in which United came from behind twice but still failed to win at the 12th attempt this campaign, Tindall believes there’s something to build on.
“We’ll review this game back first and foremost before we’re back in training. And then, once that’s been reviewed back, we’ll give the feedback to the team. Then preparation and focus then becomes on Arsenal,” he said.
“There were a lot of positives to take from the performance from an attacking perspective.
“To have 23 shots, nine on target, I think there are a lot of positives to take.
“Obviously we conceded three goals and we are disappointed with them but we will look at that and look to put that right in the changing room.”
Howe watched the game via live feed from his Newcastle Quayside hotel room, sending regular messages through recently appointed coach Stephen Purches.
While doing his best to impact things on Tyneside, Howe could do little about results elsewhere with three of the bottom six winning and United dropping back to the foot of the Premier League table.
Tindall said: “When you look at that performance it certainly doesn’t warrant us being bottom of the table.
“We just need to focus on ourselves, do what we need to do to be successful.
“There has been a lot of work done on the training field to make us better, but there is a lot more to be done.”