Newcastle United news: Eddie Howe urged to DROP out-of-form defender, but he refuses

Today, we bring some wholesome Newcastle United news, as Eddie Howe has defended one of his players who has been on the unfortunate end of criticism in recent weeks.

It's no secret that Kieran Trippier has been out-of-form recently. I always ponder in my head whether this is because we hold the right-back in such high regard, that even an average performance seems bad given his standards. However, it would appear I'm not alone in singling out Trippier.

Newcastle United news: Eddie Howe urged to DROP out-of-form defender, but he refuses

I side with NUFC News when they say that Trippier should be given a rest. The poor soul is overworked, both for the England national team and Newcastle. There's no wonder he's looked worn out in recent matches which has resulted in some costly moments. For the good of the club, he should be rested.

Given the injury crisis, there is pressure on Eddie Howe to rotate the squad to ensure players remain fresh. With that in mind, it's a surprise that Lewis Hall hasn't been seeing many minutes recently. When asked about why Hall hasn't been in the starting eleven of late, Howe responded by backing up Trippier and brushing aside the rumours that he should be given a rest soon.

"“When [Trippier is] part of your biggest attacking threat every week he’s a very difficult one to miss out. Even today he had his moments with some really good crosses, especially in the second half.”"

- Eddie Howe (via NUFC News)

Thankfully for the player, he will have to be rested in our next Premier League match against Fulham. He picked up a yellow which means he will be suspended due to an accumulation of bookings. This could work in our favour, as I'm certain Trippier will come back stronger.

What do you make of today's Newcastle United news?