Matt Ritchie and Isaac Hayden dropped as Danny Rose makes full debut

Bruce’s 12th-placed side take on Arsenal this afternoon in a televised game (4.30pm kick-off) – and Rose and Lazaro, signed from Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan respectively, have been handed starts.

“I don’t have to explain what Danny Rose is,” said Bruce. “He’s England’s left-back in many people’s eyes. He’s desperate to go to the championships (Euro 2020), so hopefully we’ll see the best of him. If Lazaro settles down, and gets used to playing in England, we know we’ve got a quality player on our hands.”

Sean Longstaff also comes into the starting XI, while Matt Ritchie and Isaac Hayden drop down to the bench.

The game comes after the Premier League’s winter break. Bruce said: “It’s a pity it was cut short a bit (by Newcastle’s FA Cup replay against Oxford United), but we’ve had four or five days off. It was just at the right time for us.”

Bruce is without Andy Carroll and Jonjo Shelvey.

United's head coach said: “Andy’s still not right, which is a concern for us going forward. Shelvey’s still out, but we don’t think he’s going to be too long.”

ARSENAL: Leno, Bellerin, Luiz, Mustafi, Saka, Ceballos, Xhaka, Ozil, Pepe, Aubameyang, Nketiah. Subs: Martinez, Sokratis, Lacazette, Torreira, Willock, Kolasinac, Martinelli.

NEWCASTLE UNITED: Dubravka, Lazaro, Fernandez, Lascelles, Clark, Rose, S Longstaff, Bentaleb, Almiron, Saint-Maximin, Joelinton. Subs: Darlow, Schar, Ritchie, Hayden, Lejeune, Atsu, M Longstaff.