Eddie Howe again declined to address Saudi Arabia’s dismal human rights record as he confirmed he would take his struggling Newcastle squad to the Gulf kingdom after Saturday’s game at Leeds.
Saudi-owned Newcastle are due to fly to Jeddah on Sunday for a week-long warm-weather training camp on the Red Sea coast, where thermometers reached 30C on Friday, with their subsequent game not until 8 February against Everton. Although Howe revealed they were likely to play a friendly he refused to say whether he would meet Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler. “I don’t know any of those details at the moment,” he said.
