Eddie Howe makes change to Newcastle United’s training schedule ahead of Sheffield United

Newcastle United have done minimal training ahead of this afternoon’s Premier League clash at Sheffield United as they manage their busy schedule.

After returning to winning ways against Brentford at St James’ Park last Saturday, the Magpies made the midweek journey to AC Milan, where they picked up a point in their Champions League Group F opener.

As a result of their physical exertions in Italy, head coach Eddie Howe has made the decision not to “train fully” before the trip to Bramall Lane.

Howe explained: “The players were in yesterday [Thursday]. I wouldn’t say we trained because we probably can’t train at the moment. That would be a negative if you take more out of the players. Obviously, a group of players did but the ones that started the game didn’t.

“We probably won’t train fully before the game. We will be training but not at our maximum level.”

Howe’s squad arrived by back in England during the early hours of Wednesday after flying back from Milan after the game. But the Magpies’ head coach has played down the impact the impact of European football.

“I don’t think it’s been dramatically different,” Howe said when asked about his preparations for Sheffield United. “Of course, the travelling has but in terms of how we’ve prepared, definitely a bit more delegation in respect to my staff. A part of that, I don’t think too much changes.

“We’re trying to be smart with our time in between games, especially with the demand on the players so big, both mentally and physically. We’ve got to get that balance right for them.

He added: “I feel we’ll have enough time to prepare. Of course, it’s new for us. I don’t think anyone can measure emotionally what the game took out of the players, that’s the difficulty.

“Physically we can measure but it’s the emotion that goes with it. It’s our job to recover and make sure we’re ready for another tough test.