Eddie Howe reveals Newcastle United selection dilemma versus Tottenham Hotspur

Eddie Howe has a midfield selection dilemma ahead of Newcastle United’s clash against Tottenham Hotspur this evening.

After missing the previous two defeats at Chelsea and Everton through illness, Jonjo Shelvey is set to come back into contention.

Indeed, his return provides a huge selection headache, with Howe also having Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff at his disposal.

Guimaraes started each one of United’s three away games in seven days before the international break. Willock featured twice, while Joelinton and Longstaff played once.

With Howe likely to opt for a three-man midfield in North London, two of those five players will have to miss out.

"It’s a great position for me to be in,” Howe admitted. “That midfield area has been the key area for us, it’s been one of the strengths of the team without a doubt.

“I think we’ve had a really good mix of technical quality and physical attributes. Offensively, I think they’ve been very, very good. (It’s a ) nice problem for me to have.

“I’ve got to pick three out of those five if everyone’s fit, if we decide to play with a three.”

Guimaraes’ late return from international duty with Brazil could impact Howe’s thinking when he names his starting XI at 3:30pm today.

The 24-year-old has had a maximum of two training sessions - Friday and Saturday - after playing at altitude in Bolivia.

That said, he did arrive back in the North East in good spirits after scoring his first national team goal during the 4-0 win on Wednesday.

Howe said: “I think the travelling time is probably the biggest concern. I know what I feel like after a long flight.

“I think we have to talk with the players, see how they feel and make a decision based on that.”

Chris Wood, set to lead United’s attack line at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Miguel Almiron also had long journeys back from international duty.