Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe admits he has injury concerns to deal with following the 3-3 draw with Manchester City on Sunday. The Magpies manager is likely to make a number of changes for the trip to Tranmere Rovers in midweek after a tough clash against the Premier League champions.
Ryan Fraser was an unused substitute during the St. James' Park draw after pulling up with a groin issue in the warm-up, while Callum Wilson and Dan Burn were both forced off in the second-half.
"We had a couple of issues in the game,” Howe admitted. “Ryan Fraser I couldn’t bring on - he was feeling a groin injury in the warm-up. He would have been a very important player for us if we were able to use him today but we didn’t have that luxury.
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“Callum was feeling his hamstring at half-time. Just a tightness, nothing more than that but we were aware looking at him second-half he wasn’t fully opening up. We felt at that moment the team probably needed someone who could fully sprint. We wanted to protect him from serious injury.”
"Obviously, Dan Burn’s got a concussion. I don’t think he’ll play. So we’re going to be forced into changes. How many changes, I don’t know. But we’ll pick a team to try and win the match.”
Newcastle are desperate to experience a lengthy cup run after an impressive start to their league campaign this term. Howe is aware of the importance of the Carabao Cup and admits he will field a team capable of progressing to the next stage of the competition.
“We’re desperate to do well in the cups – I’ve made that very clear,” he added. “But we have to be mindful that we’ve got a very packed schedule. I don’t quite know (the team) at this moment in time. We’ll have to see how the injuries are."
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