Scary Sven Botman prospect imminent as Newcastle United boss ponders 'dream XI'

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has warned his players that they still have questions to answer despite returning to form against Leicester City.

The Magpies ran riot in the second half as they piled the pressure on substitute keeper Danny Ward at the Leazes End. The Wales World Cup stopper's first touch was to fish the ball out of his net after Bruno Guimaraes' flying header.

However, he could soon have his Dream XI to pick from with Sven Botman close to a return and the likes of Anthony Gordon, Bruno, Alexander Isak and Sandro Tonali all fighting fit - not to mention the full-back pairing of Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall making forays down the flanks. The prospect of blowing away another team at St James' Park could be nearer than you think.

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The 4-0 rout came just seven days after Newcastle's performance away to Brentford had been described as "a mess" by Bruno. And the Newcastle boss was asked if he will spend much time analysing how United can switch from the shambles of the Gtech Community Stadium to the top notch display against the Foxes in such a short space of time.

Howe told Chronicle Live: "Probably not a lot of time, to be honest, but I totally get your question. For me now, the energy and the transfer of thought goes to how can we perform better against Brentford, not really looking back too much, unless it's tactically at the game.

"But they're the questions, I think, that we have to answer and the only way we can answer that is to back it up, which we haven't done enough this season.

"It's been the high of Liverpool to the low of Brentford to the high of today and we have to find the missing ingredient to try to make sure that we're not that different team at different times."

Yet Howe admitted he could not ask his players for more on the day against Leicester after a clean sheet, four goals and 27 goal attempts in total. The Toon boss said: "No, I couldn't ask for much more. I thought there was a lot of pressure on the players today, that wasn't lost on me. You go from that performance last week, everything set up today for us to answer a lot of questions.

"But you've still got to deliver it and you;re playing against a very dangerous team with a new manager, so a great response, really, in that pressurised moment and good signs for us mentally because you've got to deal with that pressure."

Newcastle were rewarded with their first half pressure when Jacob Murphy converted from Anthony Gordon's cutback before Bruno, Alexander Isak and the flying ex-Norwich winger had the game wrapped up with half an hour to spare.

Howe reflected: "The first goal was important because we'd knocked on the door with a number of chances; we hadn't taken them. It took a really well-worked set-play on the first two goals, really, and it goes to show the importance of those moments. I was really pleased with the first two goals."

After the game soon to be fit again centre-back Botman posed in the triumphant team picture, the first since early November, with Howe knowing he will soon be close to naming a full strength line-up.