Your Newcastle United headlines for Friday, December 16.
Lejeune on Howe
Florian Lejeune has admitted it was a "shame" that he did not get to work with Eddie Howe at Newcastle because he would have really 'struck a chord' with the Magpies head coach.
"The new owners appear to have done things very well," Lejeune told ChronicleLive. "Last year, they recruited the players that they needed and who knew the Premier League very well so their recruitment has been very clever and really intelligent for the rest of the season ahead. They’ve also brought in Bruno Guimaraes who brings that added touch of class to midfield at Newcastle.
READ MORE: "No bad blood" - Loris Karius on Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool exit and making Newcastle United memories
"As for the new manager, Eddie Howe, he has a great track record with what he did at Bournemouth. He is someone who likes his teams to really play football and bring the game to other teams and you can really see that. It is a shame actually because perhaps I would really have struck a chord with this manager!"
To read more, click here.
Pulisic talks future
Christian Pulisic has broken his silence regarding a potential Chelsea exit just weeks before the start of the January window. The USA international was heavily pursued by the Magpies over the summer as Eddie Howe searched for further attacking firepower.
Speaking to the Indirect Podcast, Pulisic admits he is focused on the Blues but things can 'change quickly' when it comes to interested parties. “I mean, right now I’m absolutely back at Chelsea and focused and ready to finish the season, but you know how things work in football," he said.
"Things change quickly and anything can happen. At the moment I am just pushing myself in training and working at Chelsea because that’s where I am right now."
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ASM issues warning
Allan Saint-Maximin has lifted the lid on his injury torment after his season came to a grinding halt just as he was getting into the groove.
Speaking at the club's warm weather training camp in Riyadh, said: "It’s been a very difficult time for me because you can see I put in a lot of work during pre-season to be able to come back fit and to be the best I can.
"I started very well, I did a great game against Manchester City - it was one of the best games I’ve played for Newcastle. And just after that, we were losing 1-0 against Wolves and I scored a nice goal to get a draw for the team.
"It was a very good and important moment for me but after, it was a bad moment because I felt pain in my hamstring. It was a very difficult time for me because always when you see the team play well, you want to be able to help them."
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Youngsters get chance
Howe has handed more first-team opportunities to a host of youngsters who were involved in the trip to Saudi Arabia earlier this month. Alex Murphy, Lewis Miley and Jay Turner-Cooke were all called up for the warm weather trip and earned a smattering of minutes in the friendly win over Al-Hilal.
To read more, click here.
Bullet dodged
You probably know the story by now. Newcastle were so close to signing Dele Alli in January, 2015 that the club's media team were even preparing a press release to announce his arrival before Spurs nipped in and landed the wonderkid from MK Dons.
Fast forward seven years and the Magpies, at the very least, did consider a loan move for Dele after a move for Jesse Lingard did not come off. The usually guarded Howe, himself, acknowledged that there were 'a host of things that could have maybe dropped in a different way' before admitting that Dele was a 'top' player he had 'admired' for years.
Given how Howe has helped unlock a number of players he inherited at Newcastle, including Joelinton and Miguel Almiron, the Magpies boss may have just been the manager Dele needed. Instead, a subsequent move to Everton on deadline day just did not work out and the former England international has not fared much better since joining Besitkas on loan back in August.
To read Ciaran Kelly's full column, click here.
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