Newcastle United latest news: Eddie Howe has praised one of his star players ahead of their clash with Everton in the Premier League.
Injuries to Tino Livramento, Emil Krafth and Lewis Miley has meant that Trippier has been Howe’s only senior right-back option for the past six weeks. None of Miley, Krafth or Livramento featured at all in February, with Trippier starting 11 of Newcastle United’s last 12 matches in all competitions.
Trippier, who will turn 36 in October, will almost certainly start against the Toffees this afternoon and, with neither Miley nor Livramento expected back in action for another couple of weeks, will likely have to start against both Manchester United and Manchester City next week.
Four years on from his move to St James’ Park from Atletico Madrid, Trippier remains a key figure in the Newcastle United dressing room - as he has done from the second he walked through the doors on Tyneside. Memorably, Trippier netted his first-ever Magpies goal against Everton with a wicked free-kick past Jordan Pickford in what was, at the time, a huge relegation six-pointer.
Eddie Howe’s praise for Kieran Trippier
Speaking about Trippier ahead of Everton’s visit this weekend, Howe was keen to praise the former Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley man for his work both on and off the pitch: “You can't underestimate what Kieran brings,” said United’s head coach.
“I think we just spoke earlier about the reaction of the group in the last five games, and I think epitomising that is Kieran's mentality, where I think after the Brentford game, if I believe, I could be mistaken on the game, but he's come out and taken accountability on behalf of the players, which I think is rare in this day and age.
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“And I think he's got those values inside of him that he has to give more, or the team have to give more in any moment, but that filters through the group, and that leadership is almost a dying art in the modern game. So I pay tribute to his leadership.
“All through his time here, he's been a really positive force for the team, for evolving, improving, and in good and bad moments being consistent.
“He's had a big workload in recent weeks. We've been well aware of that. We've tried to manage his minutes when we can in games. But also, he's very much of the mindset that he wants the rhythm of the games, so he enjoys the games, he wants to play, and he feels he's better when he is regularly playing, so in some sense we've tried to give him that as well. But he's still an outstanding player.”
There has been little to suggest in recent games that workload is affecting Trippier’s performance in a negative way and, in fact, it can be argued that he is getting better with every passing match. With a fairly solid back line around him to lead, Trippier will undoubtedly be someone that Howe and his teammates look towards to drive them forward not just this weekend, but also in upcoming Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League matches.
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