Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has heaped praise on his returning World Cup stars after they dusted off their disappointments in Qatar and got on with the gritty work required at domestic level.
Howe named Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier, Callum Wilson, Bruno Guimaraes and Fabian Schar in his starting line-up against AFC Bournemouth and all of them delivered to push Newcastle into the quarter-finals of the League Cup. With a host of players from the World Cup pictured at exotic locations, Howe was delighted with the attitude of those who swapped the beach for a chilly night on Tyneside.
Howe, speaking after the win over Bournemouth, said: "We’ve had players away that haven’t had a lot of football. You can train as much as you want, but nothing replicates the games. There are some players there that will benefit from the match.
READ MORE: Chris Wood shoots down transfer talk and says he is 'committed' to Newcastle
"We’ve had some friendlies here, but even those games, they’re not competitive games. It’s difficult to replicate that.
"You can do the best you can, but we’ll be better for that game for the next few games to come. It was important we progressed, and I think the foundation for that tonight was the clean sheet."
Newcastle are now into the last eight of a competition they have never won and a cup they reached the final of just once back in 1976, losing to Man City. When asked about the next round, Howe said: "I don’t think we’re looking too far ahead. "It’s small steps for us. We’re into the next round, but now the Premier League takes priority and we’ll look forward to the Leicester game, which will be a really tough challenge for us.
"We’ll look at the next round when it comes round in our calendar. We’ll look to see the draw, but we’re delighted to still be in the competition."
READ NEXT
- Newcastle to use cryotherapy as training ground upgrades take shape
- Alexander Isak touch and go to take part in Newcastle United's festive programme
- Bruno Guimaraes beats Salah and Haaland to win Fans' Footballer of the Year
- Jurgen Klopp benefits from Newcastle United's last mistake under Mike Ashley
- How PIF are reaching for the skies in Riyadh
