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Newcastle record signing Nick Woltemade | Getty Images
Eddie Howe has provided fitness updates on Newcastle United trio Nick Woltemade, Tino Livramento and Lewis Miley.
Eddie Howe has confirmed Newcastle United are managing Nick Woltemade after he “lost weight” due to a recent illness.
The German missed the 2-1 win over Manchester United after contracting a virus. In his absence, Will Osula stepped up from the bench to score a crucial stoppage-time winner.
Woltemade should return to the matchday squad this weekend but Newcastle are erring on the side of caution, with Howe confirming he “lost a bit of weight” due to his illness. The Toon boss also provided an update on Tino Livramento and Lewis Miley as they return to full fitness.
Eddie Howe issues triple Newcastle United update
“He's (Livramento) getting there,” Howe told reporters. “Let's wait and see. I think he hasn't trained with us yet, but we hope that he will be very, very soon. He's done a lot of work.
“There's no question on how his fitness is, in the sense that his cardiovascular fitness will be really high. He's been running for a long time, so he's got a lot of work behind him.
“But it's just that training time and that involvement with us. But he's been with all our coaches and done enough. And he's looked really good, so I think he's there or thereabouts.
“Nick (Woltemade) had an illness and lost a little bit of weight. He didn't eat for a few days, so I think we needed to be smart with him. But he's trained yesterday individually and felt ok. So, yes, that's a positive.
“Lewis Miley isn't there yet, but we hope he's not too far away. But I don't think he'll make the next couple of games.”
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Eddie Howe rallies Newcastle United crowd
Howe also urged his players to “get the crowd involved” as Newcastle aim to upset a second Manchester club in the space of four days. He added: “The games against Manchester City have all been close. The game we won was close. The games we've lost, I think, have been, by and large, pretty close.
“I think we've been in every game and I think we've had chances against them. I don't think we've been as clinical as we need to be to win those games. And, of course, defensively, we need to be watertight.
“They're always going to test you. I think they're such a difficult team to pin down in every moment, so no doubt it will be what we want it to be, a really proper English FA Cup tie, where it's one of those end-to-end games. I think that will suit us.
“We need to get the crowd involved. That will suit us. So, all those things, I think, are going to be vitally important.”
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