Eddie Howe fires warning to Sir Jim Ratcliffe ahead of Manchester United vs Newcastle fixture

A few days after Man United’s 1-0 loss to Arsenal over the weekend, Erik ten Hag’s team will play Newcastle.

United take on Newcastle on Wednesday. (Image: Newcastle)

With two games remaining in the season, Eddie Howe is aware that Newcastle is well-positioned to finish sixth in the Premier League.

This Wednesday’s match between Manchester United and Newcastle at Old Trafford is crucial to the race for sixth place and European qualification.

With 54 points, Erik ten Hag’s team trails both Chelsea and Newcastle, who have 57 points apiece. Brighton and the Magpies are United’s remaining league opponents.

Back in February, Sir Jim Ratcliffe discussed the significance of United’s Champions League participation and the effect it would have on FFP. But now that United’s hopes of winning the Champions League have already been dashed, they risk missing out on all of Europe.

Over the weekend, they lost 1-0 to title-chasing Arsenal, while Chelsea triumphed over Nottingham Forest and Newcastle drew with Brighton.

The Reds have the chance to play with spirit against Newcastle on Wednesday night at home in the season’s final game, but they’ll be up against a driven team that is eager to win.

After talking about the match, Howe responded, “We’re looking for some consistency – it’s not all been bad,” when questioned about Newcastle’s dismal away record.

“I think we’ve had some solid wins, particularly in the cups, but we haven’t felt like we’re going to roll into a string of victories; it hasn’t happened.

We haven’t established a routine while traveling. It’s a great time to do that, as you say, because there are two games in a short period of time, each of which is tough and the opponents is equally formidable.

But I believe we can proceed with assurance. We’re playing well, in my opinion, and our overall performances have really improved as the season has gone on. That seems to be crucial.

Howe went on, “We have control over it. There is a significant gap between our goals. You can control what you can control, so you’d always prefer it that way—we don’t have to consider other outcomes.

You don’t take anything for granted, though. We are aware of how challenging these two games will be. These are two very important games. Isn’t the Manchester United match perfectly set up?

“That is going to be huge for us. We’ll do everything within our power to ensure a successful outcome, and on the final day, Brentford will naturally take care of itself. However, as we have stated repeatedly, it is likely to continue until the very end.”

Newcastle defeated United in the Carabao Cup final the previous season, but in their three subsequent meetings, the North East team has prevailed.

At Old Trafford, Newcastle is attempting to win just their second league game in fifty-one years.