Eddie Howe reacts to Newcastle United’s pre-season win over 1860 Munich - and Sven Botman’s debut

Eddie Howe has provided his verdict on Newcastle United’s 3-0 pre-season friendly victory over 1860 Munich.

Nick Pope, making his non-competitive debut, was among the Magpies players to start the game, who were frustrated by their German counterparts in the opening 45 minutes.

The score was tied at 0-0 until Joe Willock broke the deadlock on 55 minutes. On the hour-mark, Howe made 10 changes - including Bruno Guimaraes.

And the Brazilian was the star of the show, assisting Sean Longstaff’s goal before scoring one himself after linking up with Chris Wood.

“The first-half was difficult,” Howe told reporters at the Saalfelden Arena. “They were clearly trying to slow the game down which is their right.

“The referee didn’t help because we wanted a quick game. We wanted high tempo, a lot of running, a lot of transition work but it wasn’t there in the first half.

“We didn’t really get what we wanted but we didn’t really help ourselves in that. I thought we were lethargic but we have worked the players very hard this week.

“They’ve been tested in a lot of different ways, so we knew we were coming into the game fatigued and that showed during the first period.”

Summer signing Botman was introduced at half-time with Jamaal Lascelles replaced as a precaution.

The Dutchman first partnered Dan Burn in defence before Fabian Schar replaced the Blyth-born defender.

Howe said: “It’s no secret we chased him for a long time. His ability - I think you saw that today. He’s a presence, a really good size and his technical ability has been evident since day one in pre-season.

“He is very composed and settled in really well. He is a very likeable person, laidback and calm. I’ve been really pleased with his impact on the group.”