Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe is hoping for positive news following the disappearance of Christian Atsu. The winger was caught up in the devastating aftermath of the earthquake that's affected parts of Turkey and neighbouring Syria.
Atsu, who also played under Howe at Bournemouth, spent five years at St. James' Park as a player. The 31-year-old now plays for Hatayspor in Turkey and the club’s director, Volkan Demirel, told Reuters on Wednesday Atsu remains missing, despite conflicting reports earlier in the week claiming he'd been pulled from rubble and taken to hospital.
"There is no information on his whereabouts yet, we don't know where he is," Demirel said. "It's not the case that he was pulled out or taken anywhere else."
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The search for Atsu is ongoing after he was reported missing when team-mates and members of the club's technical staff had reportedly been pulled from the rubble.
Howe said: "Hugely worrying. Really, really enjoyed working with Christian. A great lad, great player. Our thoughts are with him and his family, we hope for some good news.
"We hope he's okay and we've been really concerned for his welfare this week. It's been difficult because there's been conflicting stories coming out about his whereabouts. so it's been very tough.
"I can't imagine how his family are feeling but from the bottom of our hearts we wish him well and hope there'd s positive ending.
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