The official reason Eddie Howe is not doing a Newcastle United press conference ahead of Manchester United

Instead, Newcastle assistant Jason Tindall will be conducting media duties ahead of Sunday’s match against Manchester United at St James’ Park (4:30pm kick-off).

It is the second time Tindall has stepped in for Howe at a Newcastle pre-match press conference. The 47-year-old last did so in February 2024 ahead of the match against Luton Town at St James’ Park.

Back then, Howe didn’t take the press conference but took training on Friday and was in the dugout for the Luton match.

Newcastle United explain Eddie Howe’s absence

Newcastle communicated to the media on Friday morning that Howe would not be attending the press conference at the Newcastle United Media Centre due to illness, with Tindall taking up media duties in his place.

Tindall is a popular figure on Tyneside and a somewhat infamous one beyond that due to his touchline antics.

Back in December, Tindall was sent off during Newcastle's 3-0 win over Aston Villa following a ‘mass confrontation’ at half-time.

Tindall and Aston Villa analyst Victor Manas were shown red cards as a result of the incident and hit with an FA charge for behaving in an improper manner. Manas admitted to the charge while Tindall denied it.

Following further investigation, the charges against Tindall could not be proven and the Newcastle assistant will face no further action while Manas has been charged and hit with a £4,000 fine and a two-match ground ban.

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Newcastle United v Manchester United

Newcastle facing Manchester United is always an interesting affair and one that has turned in The Magpies’ favour in recent seasons.

Howe’s side won the reverse fixture 2-0 at Old Trafford back in December and have also won four of the last five matches in all competitions since losing the 2023 Carabao Cup final.

After finishing above The Red Devils for the first time in Premier League history last season, Newcastle are on course to do it again as they sit 15 points above Ruben Amorim’s side with a game in hand. After Sunday’s match, Newcastle will have seven league games remaining while Manchester United will have six.

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