Eddie Howe says Newcastle United new boy Anthony Gordon is ready to go in black and white after receiving the perfect welcome on Tuesday night. The £40m addition sat in the St James' Park stands as Newcastle progressed to the Carabao Cup final, hearing his name chanted by the Geordie faithful.
Gordon could make his debut for the Magpies this weekend as struggling West Ham arrive on Tyneside. There could be a temptation to use the 21-year-old from the outset as Joelinton drops back into midfield to replace the suspended Bruno Guimaraes.
Allan Saint-Maximin has been knocking on the door with impressive cameo performances of late and Howe now has a decision to make over which attacker wins the race to claim the left wing position.
READ MORE: Everything Eddie Howe said on West Ham, Carabao Cup final and injuries at Newcastle press conference
"Both players [Gordon and Ashby] will be available, yes,” said Howe. “They’ve trained well. They’ve done a couple of individual training sessions around the game because they weren’t eligible to play.
"They trained with the group yesterday, although it was a small group, so they haven’t actually trained fully with team but both are fit and fine.”
Saint-Maximin is itching for the chance to return after watching on from the sidelines since recovering from his hamstring problem. After an electric start to the season, the pressure is now on for the Frenchman to prove he can secure his long-term future in the north east.
On Saint-Maximin, Howe said: "There’s competition for places, and that’s what we need in every position because you know that one bad game or a couple of bad games can leave you out of the team and give someone an opportunity to take your place. Hopefully, that will help us in what will be a congested second half of the season."
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