Howe reveals illness in Newcastle squad ahead of Manchester United clash

• Nick Woltemade struggling with sickness before Wednesday’s game
• Magpies 13th after five defeats in six league matches
• United arrive in strong form under Michael Carrick

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has revealed illness has spread through his squad ahead of Wednesday night’s Premier League meeting with Manchester United.

The Magpies host the Red Devils at St James’ Park looking to halt a run of five defeats in their last six league games, a sequence that has left them 13th in the table. Their most recent setback came in a home loss to Everton.

In contrast, United have surged to third in the division under head coach Michael Carrick, winning five of their last six matches and drawing the other.

Newcastle’s preparations have been disrupted by sickness in the camp, with striker Nick Woltemade among those affected.

“Nick Woltemade has come down ill. There’s obviously an illness in the squad,” Howe said at a press conference on Monday. “Jacob Ramsey trained fine yesterday. Potentially a sickness in the squad, Nick Woltemade hasn’t trained through illness, but we will give him every chance for tomorrow.”

Howe is already contending with several injury absences. Midfielder Bruno Guimarães is unavailable, as are defender Fabian Schär and youngster Lewis Miley.

Full-back Tino Livramento is closing in on a return but is unlikely to feature against United.

“Tino Livramento is getting closer and closer, this game possibly comes too soon for him, we are desperate for him to become available,” Howe said.

Despite the setbacks, Howe insisted his side would approach the contest positively.

“Our intention in every game is to get into them, be a proactive team rather than a reactive team. Attack them,” he said. “They have tweaked things tactically; they have a really good atmosphere there. You can see an upturn in their general performance; they have some really good players. It is a chance for us to rediscover our best form at home.”

Reflecting on Newcastle’s recent struggles, Howe added: “We want to be consistent, we want to be our best in every game, so it is a frustration for all of us. We are trying to find solutions to our problems.”

United, meanwhile, are monitoring the fitness of Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martínez ahead of the trip to Tyneside. Patrick Dorgu, Mason Mount and Matthijs de Ligt remain sidelined.

Dorgu scored the only goal when United beat Newcastle 1-0 in the reverse fixture on Boxing Day.