Matt Targett may have to wait even longer for his first Premier League start since September.
The Newcastle United summer signing was excellent in the run-in last term while on loan from Aston Villa with his move quickly made permanent. But this season an unfortunate heel bone injury saw him sidelined with Geordie boy Dan Burn taking his place at left-back.
Howe has sympathy for Targett but hinted he is not close to tweaking his defensive rearguard meaning Burn could start at Brentford this weekend. Speaking to the Press after the 5-1 win over West Ham, Howe hailed the defence that has kept Newcastle in the top three on a night in which he used Targett as a substitute.
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Howe said: "Matt’s been really unfortunate. He’s been a victim of the team’s success, really.
"I am a believer in a consistent back four. That is an area of the team I would not want to rotate too much if possible, so all of the defenders that have found themselves out of the team have been victims of the consistency of the players that have played.
"The defensive record has been very strong. I don’t think we were at our very best defensively against West Ham, but it was great to see Matt on the pitch and he’s very much valued by us. We’ll look at the opposition, as we always do, and try to pick the best team to win the game."
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