The £42m deal Newcastle United were right to avoid as Miguel Almiron 'replacement' found

Our writer Jordan Cronin was at the Saitama Stadium - and here are his five key talking points from the game:

Bruno Guimaraes, Fabian Schar & Lloyd Kelly absences explained

Newcastle named a 29-man squad for the trip to Toyko but nine players missed out on the matchday squad versus Urawa Red Diamonds.

Bruno Guimaraes and Fabian Schar were left out having only just returned from the extra time off they had following their international exploits. And the wait to see summer signing Lloyd Kelly in action goes on.

But the good news is all three are expected to feature against Yokohama F. Marinos on Saturday.

“I hope they will all feature,” Howe told NewcastleWorld. “They all trained today [Wednesday], we did a training session in the morning and they trained well. Good to have them with us, we expect them to play some part in the game.”

Empty seats... empty seats...

While Newcastle were well-backed at the Saitama Stadium by locals, expats and travelling fans from England, a lowly attendance of 13,763 proves they still have a long way to go before becoming an international attraction.

For context Urawa have averaged 36,000 for their J-League fixtures this campaign. The capacity is over 63,000, a total reached when the likes of Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain have visited.

Of course, those two clubs probably aren’t a fair comparison but there is some inspiration to be taken. Both arrived with star names - Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi - to name a few.

One of the biggest cheers of the night came when Alexander Isak’s name was read out over the PA system. Newcastle need more stellar names if they are to become the real deal. Success helps too of course.

That said, actually visiting the country also goes a long way, hence why Newcastle opted to do so after tapping into the markets of the USA and Australia last season. Hopefully when the next visits comes around, the gate numbers are up.

Nick Pope shows his worth… again

In the past two games against Hull City and Urawa, Nick Pope has shown exactly why Newcastle United missed him so much last season.

For all the want and will from a lot of you to sign Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili at one point, this is a gentle reminder that Pope is still very much deserving of his No.1 spot.

Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak have been transformative signings, but I’d include Pope in that bracket too having taken the goalkeeping onto a new level. The difference with Martin Dubravka in net, as proven last term, is stark. And that’s no disrespect intended to the Slovakian, who too had a major impact when he first joined in January 2018.

Pope’s long-term shoulder injury is still very much fresh in the memory and fears he could dislocate it again are fair. But as long as the 32-year-old is fit and firing, I wouldn’t replace him.

A lot is made about a goalkeeper’s distribution these days but keeping the ball out the net is all that matters, right? And Pope does a bloody good job at doing that.

Who needs a right winger, eh?

Jacob Murphy hit a good run of form at the back of last season and that has continued into pre-season with his brace at the Saitama taking his goal tally for four goals in three matches.

Surely that puts talk of needing a new right winger this summer...?

Of course, we’re joking! But if one isn’t to arrive before the Premier League opener against Southampton then Murphy absolutely gets in ahead of Miguel Almiron.

That’s the Joe Willock we know

We’re still in the early stages but Joe Willock’s 45 minutes against Urawa offered encouragement that his Achilles problem is close to being behind him.

The former Arsenal man played a key role in both of Newcastle’s first-half goals from Alexander Isak and Jacob Murphy, with his pace and athleticism that Howe has missed very much on display.

“I think Joe will be the first to admit that there is more to come,” said Howe. “He's had some good training with us, he's been training for a period of time but there is nothing like games - that is the only thing that can take your game back to where it was. Today was his first test, 45 minutes was planned for him.

“You can see his qualities, the assist for the first goal, the breaks from midfield, the energetic box-to-box ability - he's a goal threat and goal creator as well. Massive player, we've missed him and that was his first steps back today.”

Konnichiwa! Newcastle United are in Japan - and so too are NewcastleWorld!

Our Newcastle United writer Jordan Cronin is there all week, providing coverage of the tour, behind the scenes video and analysis from Tokyo.

And we’re proud to announce that our Newcastle United coverage of the tour has a sponsor! Every story from Japan is sponsored by Mobility Care Solutions Ltd, with the shop’s official mascot Murphy!

Eddie Howe's men take on Urawa Red Diamonds at the Saitama Stadium on Wednesday, July 31. They then face J.League runners-up Yokohama F. Marinos on Saturday, August 3.

For more information on Mobility Care Solutions Ltd click this link.