Newcastle can go third in the Premier League table with victory over Crystal Palace on Wednesday, but they will be without manager Eddie Howe, who will be missing for the second successive match due to illness.
Earlier this week, Newcastle confirmed that Howe had been diagnosed with pneumonia. He was absent from the dugout for Sunday’s 4-1 victory over Man United, and as well as the match against Palace, the club have confirmed that he will not be back for this weekend’s trip to Aston Villa.
Howe has been a revelation for Newcastle since he succeeded Steve Bruce as manager back in November 2021, and earlier this year, he led them to their first piece of silverware since 1969 when Liverpool were defeated 2-1 in the Carabao Cup final.
Newcastle do not know when Eddie Howe will be back
Newcastle will put no pressure on Howe to return to work anytime soon, as their first priority is his rest and recovery. But this means that there are no guarantees that he will return to the dugout before the end of the season, as per iNews.
Howe, who is said to be pushing for Newcastle to sign a new goalkeeper this summer, has been replaced by assistant Jason Tindall for the time being, and if Sunday’s spectacular victory over Man United was anything to go by, they will be in good hands – and this will mean that Howe is under no pressure to force himself to return to work before he is back at 100%, which is what everyone involved in the situation wants.
It remains to be seen whether Newcastle can make it back-to-back victories without Howe in the dugout. Should they do so, they would be in a very good position to take one of the Champions League qualification spots for next season.
