Pep Guardiola respect, Newcastle United's two month injury wait and Kieran Trippier truth

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe gave Pep Guardiola his congratulations after signing the extension that makes his own job even harder.

The head coach then confessed that having the Manchester City boss in English football for another two years makes sure the Premier League stays the best competition in the world. The pair have already gone to battle once this season with Newcastle earning a solid point but after City won five games on the spin after their visit to St James' Park, the last four matches for Guardiola's side have resulted in four defeats in a row including a Carabao Cup exit.

Newcastle's upturn in fortunes has resulted in the gap between Man City and Newcastle being cut to just five points. Speaking about news of Guardiola penning a new deal, Howe said: "I was delighted to see that! On a serious note, I think he's contributed so much to English football. I think he's revolutionised how a lot of teams play.

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"I think he's incredibly talented and I think it's good for the English game that he's still here. He will continue to develop and evolve his style and people will potentially continue to follow that. From the competition side, I think it keeps the Premier League as the best game in the world."

Emil Krafth's worst fears confirmed

The Sweden international injured his collar bone in training ahead of the international break and missed the trip to Nottingham Forest. It has been confirmed now that Krafth could miss two months and with Dan Burn suspended for the weekend, Howe spoke about the painful blow for Krafth for the first time on Friday.

He said: "Emil has had an operation. We anticipate he’s going to be out for six to eight weeks. It’s a big blow to us to lose Emil who has been such a consistent performer."

Krafth can take some heart from the fact he missed 12 months of action between 2022 and 2023 and will face a quicker turnaround this time.

Kieran Trippier back to square one

The 34-year-old defender started the season knowing he was in a fight for his place with Tino Livramento. The former Chelsea and Southampton star has now pushed on and claimed both an England place and a slot in Newcastle's first XI.

Trippier has pushed past Livramento a couple of times this season but returns from a hamstring injury with Tino in outstanding form. Howe was pleased with the battle for the right-back slot that lies in wait and said: "It will be interesting to see. From our side, we’ve always said, especially in that Champions League season, we needed two outstanding players for every position. That’s still the case now."