Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe provides update on Kieran Trippier after being substituted early during friendly

Newcastle have allayed concerns that England football team back Kieran Trippier sustained an injury during the club's end-of-season friendly against Tottenham Hotspur in Australia. Trippier, who began the game in the presence of an attendance of 78,419 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, completed only 37 minutes before being replaced by Jacob Murphy after seemingly sustaining a kick to the ankle.

However, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe acknowledged that the 33-year-old full-back's withdrawal was "pre-planned" as he fights towards getting back to complete match fitness in preparation for UEFA Euro 2024, and he was on hand for a group photograph after the end of the game.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe said after the game, “No that was all planned. We spoke to Kieran and thought the best thing to do was start him. He is still in the early stages of recovery so we didn’t want to take risks with him. Half an hour was always the aim. 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.”

Kieran Trippier looks to make it to England squad for UEFA Euro 2024

Trippier, who was included to Gareth Southgate's 33-man preliminary team on Tuesday, had appeared in only three games for his team since the start of March due to a calf injury. Gareth Southgate will need to limit the party to 26 by June 7, and the Magpies defender, who has played in each of England's past three finals campaigns, appears to be hoping to make it onto the plane to Germany.

Trippier watched from the bench in Melbourne as the game ended 1-1 as Alexander Isak cancelled out James Maddison's opener, with both managers switching their entire starting lineups. The Magpies finally won 5-4 on penalties, with youngsters Joe White, Ben Parkinson, Amadou Diallo, Garang Kuol, and Harrison Ashby scoring after Mark Gillespie saved Bryan Gil's first effort.