Eddie Howe clears up Kieran Trippier substitution as Newcastle United injury fears eased

Eddie Howe has cleared up Kieran Trippier's injury status by insisting he always intended to take the Newcastle United defender off in Melbourne.

The England full-back did require an ice pack on his ankle but was walking completely fine after the game. Howe has since played down any talk of an issue for England ahead of the Euros in Germany.

The Newcastle boss said: "No that was all planned. We spoke Kieran and thought best thing to do was start him. He is still in the early stages of his calf injury and recovery so we didn't want to take risks with him. Half an hour was always the aim.

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"He did well and is not injured. Let's see how he feels on Friday. We have to make sure we treat him well at the early stages."

Newcastle boss Howe hinted that some international stars will head to their respective countries and he will play a much younger side against the Australian A-League All Stars team on Friday.

Speaking after the game, Howe added: "We will play a younger team. A lot of our internationals will move back to their various countries to prepare for tournaments."

Callum Wilson also avoided any injury and was taken off as Howe managed his squad sensibly after a long hard season. The striker replaced Alexander Isak at half-time before exiting for Garang Kuol in the second-half.

Newcastle now have a recovery day before light preparations for the clash at the Marvel Stadium on Friday night on the Melbourne Docklands.