Eddie Howe's five-word Newcastle United response to Allan Saint-Maximin question ahead of Manchester United

Saint-Maximin made his comeback from a hamstring injury off the bench in last weekend’s 5-1 win over Brentford – and the winger’s in contention to start Sunday’s game against Manchester United.

Asked if he was a contender to start at Old Trafford, head coach Eddie Howe said: “He is in contention, yeah.”

Newcastle, sixth in the Premier League, go into the game on the back of successive wins. Howe said: “Winning is so important. It changes everything. It changed perception, it changes feeling. The players have trained very well this week, there’s been a bounce and a buzz around the group.

“I’m keen to make sure the dangers that come with winning don’t rear their heads, so complacency, or over-confidence. So it’s a very thin line to get the optimum performance, and we’ve been pushing the group this week to want more.”