Once Christmas Day is out of the way, Newcastle United have a daunting trip to Old Trafford to think about, with team selection dilemmas for Eddie Howe to address.
Last time out against Chelsea, Newcastle had Nick Woltemade to thank for getting them a point with his two goals; although the Magpies should have taken all three points.
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It was a disappointing outcome for Newcastle and Eddie Howe needs to now fix a few things ahead of the next match against Man United.
Injury issues make his team selection a little bit more simple than he would probably like, but there are still some decisions to be made in attack.
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Who will start for Newcastle vs Man U?
Aaron Ramsdale
Aaron Ramsdale came under fire at the weekend for his display against Chelsea, but with Nick Pope still injured, there’s no other choice but to keep faith in the on-loan ‘keeper.
Lewis Miley
It’s safe to say Lewis Miley has been a revelation at right-back of late, and with Tino Livramento still out until early next year, we can’t see the youngster losing his spot this week.
Malick Thiaw
Even with a fully-fit defence, Malick Thiaw would probably be the first name on the team sheet now. The German centre-half did make a mistake against Chelsea, but he’s still a top, top player.
Fabian Schar
With Dan Burn and Sven Botman both out injured, there’s no option but for Howe to partner Thiaw with veteran Fabian Schar.
Lewis Hall
Lewis Hall made a quickfire return against Chelsea despite a scare last week, with his hamstring issue seemingly not as bad as we feared. If he’s fit, he will start against United.
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Sandro Tonali
There were concerns over Sandro Tonali recently, but he now looks to be back at full fitness. Indeed, Tonali was brilliant against Fulham last week and will be looking to dominate the midfield at Old Trafford.
Bruno Guimaraes
He’s the main man at Newcastle and with Bruno Fernandes out, Bruno Guimaraes may well be the best player on that pitch later this week. He will be the benchmark for his teammates when it comes to mentality and fight, that’s for sure.
Jacob Ramsey
Jacob Ramsey has proven his doubters wrong this week, to a degree. He’s finally getting some minutes and looks lively. As long as Joelinton is out and Miley is playing in defence, it’s likely Ramsey will keep starting.
Jacob Murphy
As Anthony Elanga keeps struggling, it’s becoming more and more obvious that Eddie Howe needs to give the minutes to Jacob Murphy and/or Harvey Barnes. With Murphy offering slightly more in terms of defensive work, we reckon he’ll get the nod against a strong United team.
Nick Woltemade
Nick Woltemade had his best game against Chelsea and we can’t see a reason for Yoane Wissa to replace him unless the big German striker is fatigued. Given he will be high on confidence after his two goals at the weekend, we can’t imagine him dropping out.
Anthony Gordon
Anthony Gordon played a blinder against Chelsea, and he’s really found his form of late. There’s absolutely no way Howe will drop the winger now, and Gordon will be looking to keep up his impressive record against Big Six teams.
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