Eddie Howe forced into major Newcastle United change as verdict issued on £28m man

The Magpies will head to the Vitality Stadium keen to make it two from two to begin their Premier League campaign. Their win over Southampton on Saturday, albeit a difficult watch at times, gave them a near perfect start to the campaign.

However, that win came at a cost with Fabian Schar set to miss their next three games after he was sent off for violent conduct following an incident with Ben Brereton Diaz. Schar’s absence comes as Jamaal Lascelles and Sven Botman remain sidelined with ACL injuries and with no progress on a deal to sign Marc Guehi - or any centre-back for that matter - it is an area of concern for Howe to deal with this weekend.

One option could be to start Emil Krafth alongside Dan Burn. The pair played together regularly during pre-season and was the option Howe went with on Saturday following Schar’s dismissal.

Another alternative could see Lloyd Kelly handed his full Magpies debut alongside Burn in the heart of defence. Having two left-footed central defenders in the starting line-up is uncommon but that won’t be of a concern for Howe this weekend.

Kelly, who joined Newcastle on a free transfer from Bournemouth earlier this summer, was a second-half substitute against the Saints on Saturday, replacing Lewis Hall. Kelly’s introduction helped Howe’s side become more defensively solid as the visitors piled on the pressure.

It was an impressive start to life in the black-and-white for Kelly and one that could have forced him into Howe’s plans this weekend in place of Hall. The former Chelsea man was asked to do a lot of defensive work when they went down to ten men and it is clear that remains a part of his game that requires some improvement.

A poll conducted by the Shields Gazette, however, showed that fans are split on who of Hall and Kelly should start at the weekend with 60% voting for the former, whilst 40% believe Kelly should be handed his full debut against his old club. Add into the mix the potential of seeing Kieran Trippier at left-back as well - and it’s clear that Howe has a number of options to consider.