Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said the Magpies’ recent good run against Manchester United will count for little at Old Trafford on Friday.
Howe’s men will arrive at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ having won five of their last six games in all competitions against United and four of the last five Premier League encounters since they lost 2-0 to the Red Devils in the 2023 League Cup final.
But asked if that Wembley reverse had proved a catalyst for his team, Howe replied: “I don’t know.
“That was a painful moment, but I think you just go against every opponent in an honest way. My process is to see the strengths and weaknesses of the team that we’re playing against.
“You don’t particularly look at the name or who you’re playing as such, you just attack the game, then try to highlight those weaknesses and try to protect yours, so it doesn’t really change, the process is the same.”
The former Bournemouth manager added: “Our record has been good against Manchester United in recent games, but that counts for nothing in this game.
“It will be another independent game and as I say, they’ve improved, they’ve been really strong in the games –- even the game at Aston Villa, where they didn’t win in their last match, I thought they were really strong and produced a good performance.”
Newcastle finished 10 places and 24 points ahead of Manchester United last season, but will run out for the Boxing Day clash three points adrift of their hosts after letting two slip in Saturday’s 2-2 home draw with Chelsea.
Record signing Nick Woltemade scored both goals in an impressive first-half display to strengthen his bond with Newcastle’s loyal and passionate supporters.
“You can see that when he scores, he’s got a really good connection,” said Howe. “You can see the crowd are really happy for him and he’s happy to embrace the celebrations with the crowd.
“I thought it was his best performance for the team on Saturday. I thought he played really well, especially in the first half.
“You saw his qualities returning for the team, really, in the sense that his linking play… he was dropping slightly lower on the pitch, he helped us build the ball through the thirds of the pitch, but most importantly when the ball arrived in the box, he was there.”
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