'Really poorly' Eddie Howe pulls out of Newcastle press conference as Magpies offer update on manager ahead of Man Utd clash

Howe pulled out of Friday's pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's Premier League visit from Manchester United, with assistant Jason Tindall confirming the manager has been confined to bed this week due to illness and has been feeling "really poorly."

Tindall took over press conference duty and told reporters: "He’s (Howe) been really poorly in the last couple of days. He’s been bed-ridden. We’ve been in daily contact. We’ve been speaking three or four times a day, so it’s not affected any of the preparations up until now. We’ve still got a couple of days, and I’m sure he’ll be okay for the weekend.

“I’ve been leading training while he’s been absent, with the other members of staff, but as I say, I think the manager should be back available for the weekend. It’s not very often that he’s not able to come to work. When the manager’s not there, it’s a bit different, but it’s only been a couple of days and we’ve got such a great bunch of lads with a fantastic attitude. There are some great characters in there, and they know the expectations. They know the demands and what they need to deliver to make sure they’re fully prepared for the weekend.”

Newcastle have been forced to cope without Howe on the training ground as they hope to maintain their fine form and complete a league double over the Red Devils on Sunday. The Magpies are also aiming to finish the season strongly in order to qualify for next season's Champions League and head into the weekend in fifth place in the table, level on points with Chelsea in fourth but with a game in hand over the Blues.

Tindall also confirmed that top scorer Alexander Isak is expected to be available for Sunday's match but Anthony Gordon remains a doubt. He added: "He’s trained the last couple of days. He’s trained, and he feels fine. It’s something that we’ll assess day by day, but we’re expecting him to hopefully be available for the weekend. Beyond that, we’re not really looking ahead of Man United.

“He’s (Gordon) had a decent week with the physios. He was back on the grass for a pitch session yesterday. We'll assess him again today to see how he's responded to that session, then we'll have to make a late call over the weekend to see how he is for Sunday."

Newcastle are set for a hectic run of three games in six days. First up is Manchester United, followed by a visit from Crystal Palace on Wednesday and then a trip to Aston Villa on Saturday.