'Never' - Eddie Howe makes intriguing Dan Burn claim after £69m Newcastle United change

Newcastle United drew their first match at St James' Park this season as they came from 4-2 down to draw 4-4 with Luton Town.

Newcastle started the match brightly with Sean Longstaff finding the net after just six minutes. Longstaff then put The Magpies back in front after Gabriel Osho equalised but Luton equalised again through Ross Barkley.

A quickfire double from Carlton Morris and Elijah Adebayo made it 4-2 to the Hatters just after the hour mark but 11 minutes later Newcastle had the game back level once again with Kieran Trippier and Harvey Barnes salvaging a point.

The Magpies were able to get back in the game following the introduction of Tino Livramento and Barnes in place of Dan Burn and Miguel Almiron. Burn in particular had a difficult afternoon with Chiedozie Ogbene often getting the better of him with his pace down Luton's right side.

The left-back conceded a penalty for a foul on Ogbene which was converted by Morris before he conceded possession in the build-up to Luton's fourth goal. He was withdrawn shortly after with sections of the St James' Park crowd chanting Livramento's name prior to him being introduced.

Newcastle captain Trippier could also be seen encouraging Livramento as the youngster warmed-up on the touchline prior to him coming on at 4-2 down.

Discussing his changes, Howe said: “When that [Luton's fourth goal] happens, in that moment all you're focusing on is 'How can I help the team?'.

"The emotions you live with now after the game; in the moment, it's about 'What can we do to try to get back in the match?'"

The Magpies boss was questioned why he didn't make the changes sooner given Burn's struggles prior to Luton taking the lead.

“When you’re in my shoes, you have more than one thing to focus on," Howe added. "It’s never that clear cut.

"Luton are a really good team and we knew set-plays were going to be a huge threat, so we had to cover that. It’s not just one discipline. We conceded the first goal from a set-play.

"Yes, they were a threat down that right-hand side, and we didn’t deal with it well enough. That’s certainly something for us to focus and reflect on. But defensively all day, really, we were never totally secure."

Howe also jumped to Burn's defence and felt the defender's place in the starting line-up was more than justified.

“Dan has been absolutely outstanding since he arrived at the football club," said the Newcastle head coach. "He played a huge part in our brilliant season last year, and our excellent defensive record. Four days ago, I thought he was magnificent against Aston Villa.

"He was a big part of why we played so well. Tino is an outstanding player, and no doubt will have a huge bearing on our future. But as I said earlier, there’s more than one aspect of the game to think about when I pick the team."

Next up for Newcastle is a trip to Nottingham Forest as Howe faces several big decisions when it comes to his team selection.