Man Utd take on Newcastle in the Premier League on Wednesday night, so here is the view from the opposition camp.
The MEN spoke to Newcastle reporter Sean McCormick.(Image: Getty Images)
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Manchester United have not won at St. James' Park since October 2020, but fans were absent on that occasion due to the pandemic. You have to go back to January 2019 for the last time United won on Newcastle's home turf with fans in attendance, which suggests Wednesday's visit will not be straightforward.
United head into the game as the favourites, though. Michael Carrick has collected 19 points from a possible 21 since his interim appointment, while Newcastle have slipped into the bottom half.
Newcastle's inconsistency has seen pressure increase on Eddie Howe, but history shows the clash at St. James' Park will be a challenge for United. With that in mind, the Manchester Evening News reached out to Newcastle reporter Sean McCormick to get the view from the Tyneside press pack.
McCormick writes for The Chronicle and answered questions on Newcastle missing out on Benjamin Sesko and Bryan Mbeumo, whether Sandro Tonali could become available, and more.
Q) What was the reaction in Newcastle when Sesko and Mbeumo preferred a move to United last summer? And how have Woltemade and Elanga fared as alternatives?
A) Frustration was probably the best way to describe it. Newcastle were in the market for a new right winger and a new forward following the departures of Miguel Almiron and Callum Wilson, and then their need for a forward was accentuated by the Alexander Isak transfer saga.
Mbeumo was a player Newcastle had liked for a long while and his qualities seemed to be a perfect fit for how relentless Eddie Howe likes his front three to be. He was also Premier League proven so, in theory, it would have been a low-risk move.
Sesko was one of a number of strikers Newcastle tried and failed to sign in the summer who, ultimately, joined another club. Joao Pedro and Liam Delap chose to join Chelsea, Hugo Ekitike opted to join Liverpool and when presented with the choice of Manchester United and Newcastle, Sesko chose the former.
All of those players mentioned wouldn't have changed the dynamics of the team too drastically and, in the end, Newcastle were backed into a corner and signed Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa in the final weekend of the summer transfer window.
Newcastle were interested in Sesko and Mbeumo.(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)
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Wissa got injured almost immediately on international duty and ended up missing three months of the season. It meant Woltemade was thrown into the deep end and although he started well, and has scored 10 goals in all competitions, he looks shattered, both physically and mentally, now.
The German international has a lot of quality but he doesn't suit Newcastle's style of play. He almost plays better as a No.10 than a No.9 but there isn't a place for a 10 in Newcastle's system. He was recently trialled as a midfielder before that was scrapped in a panic after half an hour against Everton on Saturday.
Elanga, of course, is a player Manchester United know well having come through their academy system but he has fallen way short of expectations at Newcastle so far. He is a player Howe has liked for years and the expectation was that he would hit the ground running having bagged six goals and 12 assists for Nottingham Forest last season.
One goal and two assists this term sum up how badly he has struggled to adapt to the 'Newcastle Way' as Eddie Howe has dubbed it. He looks devoid of confidence and with just three months of the season remaining he is going to have to go some to turn his first season on Tyneside into a success.
Q) What has gone wrong for Newcastle in the Premier League this season?
A) There are a number of factors, really, but it's hard not to look at the summer recruitment. Newcastle have played very well in the Champions League, reached the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup and beat Aston Villa away in the last round of the FA Cup.
But they have been unable to find any consistency in the Premier League. Injuries have played a factor. So, too, is the fact they have played two games a week exclusively since the start of September. Squad depth is key when you are competing on four fronts and that is why the recruitment needed to be spot on in the summer.
Malick Thiaw is undoubtedly a success, Woltemade has had his moments and Jacob Ramsey has taken a while to get up to speed but is starting to show his quality now. But the jury is still firmly out on the acquisitions of Wissa, Elanga and Aaron Ramsdale.
Woltemade has struggled at Newcastle in recent weeks.
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Individual errors have crippled Newcastle as well. If you look at expected goals against, Newcastle have one of the best records in the Premier League. That would suggest they are structurally sound defensively but it doesn't necessarily account for the amount of times Newcastle have shot themselves in the foot.
Having kept five cleans sheets in their first seven games, they have managed just two in 21 in the Premier League since. That was perfectly summed up on Saturday where they twice equalised against Everton and then fell behind again on both occasions within a minute and both goals were individual errors to gift the Toffees the lead.
And then at the other end, Newcastle have three recognised forwards in the squad in Woltemade, Wissa and Will Osula and we are now in March and they have contributed zero Premier League goals between them this calendar year.
Their away form has been dreadful, which has piled the pressure on their home form to pull them through and that has started to desert them in recent weeks, too.
Q) If Newcastle continue to struggle, do you feel it's possible Tonali or Bruno G could become available in the summer? United are tracking both players.
A) It's a concern, for sure. The Newcastle rise has almost hit a ceiling where they are Champions League contenders but need that extra bit of quality to cement themselves as a top four side. If you look at Eddie Howe's four seasons in charge they finished fourth, struggled with the demands of European football the following season and finished seventh, finished fifth and won a trophy in their third season and then in the fourth season they have performed well in Europe but their league form has suffered because of it.
Up until last summer, it felt like the Newcastle project was bulletproof, in the sense that they were a club on the rise and all of their star players bought into it. Alexander Isak's move to Liverpool has moved the goalposts, and while I wouldn't expect any player to leave in the bitter manner Isak did, it is not beyond the realms of possibility Newcastle lose a big player this summer.
Bruno Guimaraes (l) and Sandro Tonali react during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD4 match between Newcastle United FC and Athletic Club at St James' Park on November 05, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
United admire Guimaraes and Tonali.(Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
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Bruno Guimaraes loves Newcastle, is the captain and seems totally committed to the club. I think there is more likely to be movement around Tonali, who was linked with a deadline day move to Arsenal in January. Tonali has an excellent relationship with Eddie Howe and Newcastle fans and is on record at describing the gratitude he has for the club for standing by him during his 10 month ban from football for breaking betting rules back in 2023.
Any departure has to be right for Newcastle and if, and it is still a big if, Tonali was to leave then I would expect it to be handled in a much more dignified manner than Isak's departure.
Q) Newcastle lost 1-0 at Old Trafford in December to a makeshift United side. Can they bounce back in this fixture?
A) That was a disappointing night for Newcastle as they were well on top, particularly in the second half, but failed to break down an undercooked Manchester United side. They can certainly bounce back on Wednesday and, put simply, they have to.
Newcastle are now in a position of do or die when it comes to their prospects of European qualification in the Premier League. They are four points adrift of eighth-placed Everton, which should be enough to qualify for the Europa Conference League, and that could be stretched further before they kick off at St. James' Park.
Newcastle were beaten at Old Trafford in December.(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
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Anything other than a win, with just nine games remaining after the visit of Michael Carrick's side, would probably end their hopes and pile the pressure on success in the FA Cup and Champions League to save their season.
Their recent record against Manchester United at St. James' Park is excellent. That has to continue on Wednesday.
Q) How much of a factor is the St. James' Park crowd for this game, and what's your score prediction?
When the St. James' Park crowd is on it, it is a huge factor and typically the atmosphere is red hot when Manchester United roll into town. But Newcastle have lost three successive home games in the Premier League under Eddie Howe for the first time heading into this fixture and there are fears the 'fear factor' has been lost at St. James' Park.
Manchester United head to Tyneside in superb form and undoubtedly start the match as favourites. I suspect Newcastle to be much improved from Saturday's defeat against Everton. Whether that is enough to win the game remains to be seen. I'll go with a 2-2 draw.
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