Alex Greenwood was carried off on a stretcher after being involved in a clash of heads during England’s Nations League match against Belgium in Leuven.

Defender Greenwood collided with Belgian forward Jassina Blom with around 20 minutes of the contest gone, leaving both players down on the turf.

Greenwood then received treatment on the field for about 10 minutes before being placed on a stretcher and taken off, with Jess Carter coming on as her replacement. Blom, donning a head bandage, was able to continue.

Having been a goal down at the time of the incident via Laura De Neve’s free-kick, the Lionesses went on to turn things around, with goals from Lucy Bronze and Fran Kirby putting them 2-1 up heading into first-half stoppage time.

Tessa Wullaert then brought things back level with an equaliser in the additional period.

Livingston have rejected an approach from St Johnstone to speak to David Martindale about their managerial vacancy.

The Lions boss emerged as the early front-runner to replace Steven MacLean, who was sacked by the Perth club on Sunday with the team bottom of the cinch Premiership after no wins from their opening nine games.

Martindale refused to be drawn on speculation linking him with the McDiarmid Park job when he was asked about it at his media briefing on Monday to preview Wednesday’s match away to Hearts.

However, Saints made their move for the Livi manager later that day, only to be rebuffed by the West Lothian club.

Lions chief executive Dave Black moved to clarify the situation on Tuesday evening.

“Following recent speculation over the past 48 hours regarding men’s first-team manager David Martindale, I was keen to provide supporters with an update,” said Black in a statement released on the club’s website.

“Yesterday, the club received an official approach from St Johnstone for permission to speak to David about taking on the vacant position at McDiarmid Park. Following discussions with John Ward, John Mcllvogue and David himself, I informed St Johnstone this morning that we wouldn’t be giving permission for that conversation to take place.

“David has been pivotal in both the on-field success of the club over recent years and on the off-field growth and stability of the club too – something we wish to see continue under David’s leadership for a long time to come.

“Whilst I’ve no doubt that David has ambitions to move on and further his career in management eventually, we weren’t particularly keen to see that next move be to a league rival who we’re currently directly competing against.

“Such is the character of the man, David’s first response was solely on ensuring that full focus remained on tomorrow’s game at Tynecastle and that everyone at the club didn’t lose sight of that. His own mantra has always been that everything at Livingston must be about the we and not the me, and that very much remained the same following these discussions.

“I’ve no doubt this news will be very well received amongst you, our fans, and we hope to see you continue to get right behind David, his coaching staff and all the players as we head into a busy schedule of games between now and the winter break.”

Martindale spent four years in prison from 2006 for drug and money laundering offences but has impressively rehabilitated himself since his release in 2010.

After first getting involved with Livingston on a part-time volunteer basis in 2014, he worked his way up to become manager in 2020. Despite operating with one of the lowest budgets in Scotland’s top flight, the 49-year-old has overseen three consecutive mid-table finishes in his time in charge, helping him attract the attention of St Johnstone.

Alex Cleland is currently in interim charge of Saints while their search for a new manager continues.

The Green Brigade have been banned from Celtic Park after the club extended its suspension to home matches.

An email to supporters in the standing section has been published on social media showing that Celtic have suspended season tickets for those who have registered with the ticket office as being part of the ‘ultras’ group.

The move comes after incidents including the group’s co-ordination of a display showing solidarity with the people of Palestine at last week’s Champions League game against Atletico Madrid.

Wary of further UEFA disciplinary action, Celtic had asked fans not to bring any flags associated with the Middle East conflict.

An email leaked on social media shows Celtic cited “repeated incidents of unacceptable conduct involving the ‘Green Brigade’ group”. The ban is pending further review and communication with the fans’ group.

Celtic have been fined by UEFA twice this season for displays linked to the Green Brigade section – a pyrotechnic show away at Rotterdam and an “anti-fascist” banner which, according to the European governing body, contained a “provocative message of an offensive nature” towards Lazio.

Other issues apparently cited by Celtic include “rushing turnstiles” at Fir Park, “illegally gained access” ahead of the Lazio match and “unauthorised banners” plus behaviour towards stewards.

Thousands of supporters around Celtic Park had defied the club’s appeal by displaying Palestine flags last Wednesday.

Celtic have been approached for comment.

The life of Manchester United and England great Sir Bobby Charlton will be celebrated in a memorial service at Manchester Cathedral on November 13.

Heartfelt tributes have continued to be paid since the 1966 World Cup winner died at the age of 86 on October 21.

United have confirmed that a memorial service celebrating Charlton’s life will take place at Manchester Cathedral at 2pm on Monday 13 November.

The procession to the service will pass by Old Trafford, where he is immortalised alongside Denis Law and George Best in the ‘United Trinity’ statue.

United said in a statement: “The service will pay tribute to Sir Bobby’s incredible life as a husband, father, grandfather and, of course, as one of the finest footballers this country has ever produced.

“The procession to the cathedral will pass by Old Trafford for a moment of reflection and provide an opportunity for fans to say a final farewell to a true Manchester United legend.

“Further details on the memorial service and the procession will be communicated in due course.

“The family will then hold a private funeral ceremony for Sir Bobby and have requested privacy around the arrangements for this.”

Bundles of flowers, scarves, shirts and messages have been left at the ‘United Trinity’ statue since Charlton’s death.

The club say memorabilia has “been carefully relocated to the Old Trafford museum and will join the tributes left by fans following the passing of Sir Matt Busby in 1994”.

The flowers will be composted and used in the gardens at United’s Carrington training ground, with the plastic from the tributes removed and recycled.

Liam Gordon remains steadfast in his belief that St Johnstone can recover from their disastrous start to the season and preserve their cinch Premiership status.

The Perth club are five points adrift at the foot of the table and without a manager after Steven MacLean was sacked in the wake of Saturday’s 4-0 defeat at St Mirren – a ninth successive league match without a win.

Alex Cleland is in interim charge for Wednesday’s match at home to Kilmarnock, and captain Gordon is confident Saints – who have been in the top flight since 2009 – can get themselves out of their grim predicament in the months ahead.

“I 100 per cent believe we can turn it round quickly,” he said. “We’ve got a good squad here. We just need to start putting together performances and churning out results, which we’re more than capable of doing.

“I’m positive we will go on and do that under whoever the new manager is. This league is where we should be. We’ll keep fighting until the end.

“We’ve got a good squad here and we know what we’re capable of. Now it’s up to us to produce results to put points on the board and get ourselves up that table.”

MacLean claimed after Saturday’s defeat at St Mirren that some Saints players had “chucked it”, and Gordon admitted that is an accusation that everyone at the club is never able to be repeated.

“As a professional, that’s one thing you’d never want to be associated with,” he said. “As for those comments, I don’t know who they were aimed at, but all we can do as a group is take that on the chin and make sure it can never be said again about us either as individuals or as a group because as professional athletes we should pride ourselves on turning up and doing our jobs as best we can.

“Yes, there will be mistakes – they happen all the time – but the bare minimum here at St Johnstone is to give 110 per cent.

“We’ve had a lot of success here from past years, whether that be top-six finishes, European runs and cup success. But obviously it’s been a bit different the past few seasons and you learn a lot from that.

“When you’re winning stuff it’s all smooth and it’s great, but you start learning stuff when your back’s against the wall, and that’s where we’re at now.

“We’ve been here before as a group, I’ve been here before as an individual, so we know what’s expected and what’s required going forward. We’re ready for it.”

Saudi Arabia is set to stage the World Cup in 2034 after being confirmed as the sole bidder.

Australia was the only potential challenger but Football Australia announced hours before FIFA’s deadline on Tuesday that it would not be submitting a bid.

FIFA had already said the tournament would be held in Asia or Oceania, while Saudi Arabia had garnered immediate support from the Asian Football Confederation.

A Saudi World Cup, which may not be confirmed until a FIFA Congress late next year, is likely to be highly controversial given concerns over the country’s human rights record.

It would almost certainly mean another winter edition, as with last year’s tournament in Qatar, due to the extreme heat during the region’s summer.

A FIFA statement said: “The FIFA administration will conduct a targeted dialogue with bidders to ensure complete, comprehensive bids are received and evaluated against the minimum hosting requirements as also previously approved by the FIFA Council.

“This dialogue will focus on the defined priority areas of the event vision and key metrics, infrastructure, services, commercial, and sustainability and human rights.”

A statement from Football Australia said it had “explored the opportunity” of a bid but had decided against it.

“Having taken all factors into consideration, we have reached the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition,” the statement said.

“Football Australia is ambitious to bring more major tournaments to our shores. We believe we are in a strong position to host the Women’s Asian Cup in 2026 and then welcome the greatest teams in world football for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.”

It said hosting those events, in between the 2023 Women’s World Cup and 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, would complete a “truly golden decade for Australian football”.

CEO James Johnson added: “The reality is I don’t like to throw darts at a dartboard. When we weigh up these decisions, I like to bet on sure things. I realised we could have a shot but I think at the end the outcome was not going to be favourable to Australia.

“Saudi is a strong bid. They’ve got a lot of resources. They’re disrupting European club football at the moment. Their government are prioritising investment in football and I think that’s difficult to compete with.”

Saudi Arabia announced its declaration of interest within hours of FIFA outlining the process for hosting the 2034 tournament earlier this month.

With the 2026 finals heading to the United States, Canada and Mexico and the 2030 finals to Spain, Portugal and Morocco, including some matches in South America – subject to approval by FIFA’s congress – only bids from the Asian Football Confederation and the Oceania Football Confederation were being considered.

Saudi Arabia confirmed on October 4 that it would bid for the showpiece tournament in 2034.

Saudi minister of sport Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal said in a statement via the Saudi Press Agency: “Hosting a FIFA World Cup in 2034 would help us achieve our dream of becoming a leading nation in world sport and would mark a significant milestone in the country’s transformation.

“As an emerging and welcoming home for all sports, we believe that hosting a FIFA World Cup is a natural next step in our football journey.”

Last week Human Rights Watch complained that FIFA was failing to apply its own rules in regards to Saudi Arabia’s bid, specifically article seven of its human rights policy.

The article states: “FIFA will constructively engage with relevant authorities and other stakeholders and make every effort to uphold its international human rights responsibilities.”

Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch, said: “The possibility that FIFA could award Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup despite its appalling human rights record and closed door to any monitoring exposes FIFA’s commitments to human rights as a sham.”

On Tuesday, Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s head of economic and social justice, urged FIFA not to rush into a decision, saying: “With only a single bid for each tournament on the table, FIFA may have scored an own goal.

“FIFA must now make clear how it expects hosts to comply with its human rights policies. It must also be prepared to halt the bidding process if serious human rights risks are not credibly addressed.

“The best chance for FIFA to obtain binding guarantees to protect workers’ rights, ensure freedom of expression and prevent discrimination linked to the World Cup is during the host selection process – not after the hosts have been confirmed and tournament preparation has begun.”

Confronting accusations of “sportswashing” in an interview with Fox News last month, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said: “If sportswashing is going to increase my GDP by way of one per cent, then I will continue doing sportwashing.

“I don’t care. One per cent growth of GDP from sport and I’m aiming for another one-and-a-half per cent. Call it whatever you want, we’re going to get that one-and-a-half per cent.”

Eddie Howe, manager of Saudi-backed Newcastle, was asked about the prospect of a Saudi Arabian World Cup at a press conference on Tuesday.

“Our trips out there to Riyadh and Jeddah were two different experiences,” Howe said. “Wherever we went was really well organised and we were well looked after. If that’s a sign of what a World Cup there might look like then you can rest assured that everything will be structurally really good.”

Michael Nottingham is desperate to get himself fully fit and start repaying David Martindale for bringing him to Livingston.

The 34-year-old defender moved to the Lions from Accrington in the summer after previously spending his entire career in England.

However, he has been restricted to just two appearances so far after struggling with tendonitis, stemming from an ankle tendon injury that plagued him for much of last season.

“It’s been very frustrating because I came up here to play games, but with that setback it’s been physically draining,” he said.

“Mentally it’s been about trying to keep myself in the zone and take it day by day. I had my injury last season that kept me out for the majority of the season so I know exactly what I have to go through (to get fit again), but it’s obviously not what you want.

“The gaffer signed me to be a big part of the team this year and I wouldn’t say I feel like I’ve let him down because you can’t help injuries at times, but I feel like I haven’t given back yet so I really want to make sure I’m able to do that as soon as possible.

“The club have been amazing with me. The staff and the boys have been really understanding and supportive. It’s been amazing.”

Nottingham has not played since a second-half substitute appearance away to Rangers on August 12, but he is now back in training and has an outside chance of being in the squad for Wednesday’s cinch Premiership trip to Hearts.

“I’ve always been a player in the past who has been quite robust and able to train regularly and play in the majority of games, but since my big injury last year, that’s kind of been taken away from me,” he said. “I don’t think my body’s been conditioned well enough.

“For me, right now, it’s about getting back training regularly, trying to manage my body and be available for selection as much as possible.

“When I get my opportunity I need to bring my experience to the team and help them try to win games. I need to try to get my fitness levels up as quickly as possible.”

David Moyes expects Declan Rice to be “welcomed with open arms” when he returns to West Ham with Arsenal on Wednesday.

England midfielder Rice will face his old club for the first time since joining the Gunners for £105million in the summer when the teams meet in the Carabao Cup.

The 24-year-old made 245 appearances for West Ham and captained them to victory in the Europa Conference League, the club’s first silverware in 43 years.

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The Hammers fans are not exactly renowned for giving former players a warm welcome upon their return with another club, but boss Moyes believes Rice will get the recognition he deserves when he runs out at the London Stadium.

“You’ve got to remember this is the man who lifted this club’s first European trophy in more than 50 years,” said Moyes.

“He should be welcomed back with open arms. We’re all looking forward to seeing him again.

“He was a brilliant member of the team. He led the team brilliantly well. He conducted himself impeccably as a West Ham captain and as a player.

“The most important thing was that he gave 100 per cent in every game, even though we sort of knew he probably wasn’t going to stay at West Ham. So all credit to him. He conducted himself brilliantly well and for that alone he deserves to be cheered.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing Dec again. I’ve not seen him since he left. I don’t know if I want him to play, but I hope he’s there.”

Moyes is likely to include Lucas Paqueta and Edson Alvarez against Arsenal as both are suspended for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Brentford after collecting five bookings.

Former Arsenal players Lukasz Fabianski and Konstantinos Mavropanos will also be involved along with Emerson Palmieri, who is back from a ban.

Jamaica has been selected by FIFA to be included in its Talent Coach Programme. Jamaica was chosen from the one hundred and fifty-eight FIFA Member Associations who applied.

As part of the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS), FIFA is rolling out the Talent Coach Programme to actively assist Member Associations (MAs) with support on the ground.

Under the umbrella of the TDS, this initiative aims to accelerate elite youth player development by increasing contact time for the most talented players of a country and guiding, advising and mentoring the local coaches who are working directly with those players.

FIFA will fund the Head of the local National Academy, Dan Cooke, for two years as well as the Talent Coach Project.

This is a major milestone for Jamaica's football as they aim to revamp their youth national programme.

The National Academy will accommodate boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 16 years of age.

"I’m extremely happy about this development," said John Wall, Head of Talent Identification at the Jamaica Football Federation.

“What this means is that we can create the best possible environment to generate improvement. I hope we can set a new benchmark on how to develop our domestic talent and create the best possible environment for both boys and girls. Our aim is to create an environment that nurtures future Champions League winners and World Cup winners. It’s about time that Jamaica begins to fulfil its potential," concluded Wall.

The JFF is currently going through a rigorous talent identification process which will continue until the end of December.

Mauricio Pochettino called for Chelsea’s fans to believe and show trust in his side after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Brentford left them in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

The Stamford Bridge crowd booed Chelsea off at full-time against the Bees after a third home defeat piled pressure on Pochettino.

The Chelsea boss understands the supporters’ frustration and suggested other reasons behind their inconsistent performances.

Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s Carabao Cup last-16 clash against Blackburn on Wednesday, Pochettino said: “I think they need to be with us and I know it’s difficult to keep your feelings and it’s normal.

“The fans want to win and are frustrated and they show emotion but the message is to believe and to show trust in us and for sure it’s about the process of trusting and believing.

“There are so many details, what has happened (which contributed to Chelsea’s form) and you always need some luck.

“One of the situations that happened is the injury of Christopher Nkunku – he is a player we signed with an objective to provide the team and to help put us in a different position.

“In some games we created chances and did not score, we did not get what we deserved. I think we deserve more if we talk about our performance. We need to be more aggressive.

“In the last game we created chances and we were better than Brentford who blocked very low.

“It’s not enough and we need to criticise ourselves at the moment.”

A Carabao Cup trophy would soften the blow of Chelsea’s poor start to the 2023-24 campaign.

Pochettino highlighted the importance of both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup and insisted that he will field a strong team in a bid to advance to the quarter-finals.

He added: “It’s really important. The FA Cup and the Carabao Cup are really important for us and tomorrow (against Blackburn) we will play with our best team, some players need a rest after Saturday’s game so we cannot take risks.”

Reece James has come off the bench in recent weeks as part of his recovery from a hamstring injury he sustained in August.

And Pochettino confirmed the Blues skipper will start at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

He said: “I can confirm he is going to start. The captain is ready, which is good for the team and good for him to start from the beginning of the game and we will check on him and see how he’ll perform.”

Brazil forward Vinicius Junior has agreed a new contract extension with Real Madrid until the summer of 2027.

Vinicius’ previous contract was set to expire in 2024, and it has been reported an updated deal – said to include a 1billion euro (£873,500m) release clause – had been agreed for some time before being made public.

In a video clip on Real’s social media, Vinicius said: “Hello Madrid fans, I am very happy to renew my contract. It is a dream for me.

“I hope I can continue here for many years, scoring many goals and winning many titles. Thank you very much for the love. Hala Madrid!”

A short statement on the club’s official website read: “Real Madrid and Vini Jr have agreed to extend the player’s contract, which remains linked to the club until June 30, 2027.”

After starting his career with Flamengo, Vinicius, 23, joined Real as an 18-year-old and has gone on to make 235 first-team appearances, scoring 63 goals.

Vinicius has won the LaLiga title twice as well as the Champions League in 2022, with his goal securing a 1-0 win over Liverpool in Paris.

At Monday night’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, Vinicius was presented with the Socrates Award for his work to fight social inequality in Brazil and the ongoing battle against racism.

Following defeat in El Clasico, reports emerged some Barcelona supporters had directed racist abuse towards the Real forward.

Speaking about the ongoing issues when accepting his award, Vinicius said: “It’s boring to have to talk about racism all the time, but it’s an important thing and I will talk about it as often as I have to.

“To have people abuse me at different stadiums is sad. I hope things can change, they are getting better.

“(But) LaLiga, UEFA and FIFA can do more to make sure these people are not here among us.”

Curacao, Aruba and Belize, all came up trumps in their respective League C Concacaf Women's Gold Cup qualifying fixtures on Monday.

Curacao vs. Anguilla

Curacao assumed pole position in Group D after they downed Anguilla 5-2 at the Stadion Rignaal Jean Francisca in Willemstad.

With the win, Curacao moved up to maximum six points from two games, while Anguilla are on four points from three matches.

Curacao enjoyed a great start with three goals inside the first 20 minutes. Kadisha Martina got the show going in the fifth minute with an easy finish.

The lead was doubled in the 12th as Taisha Hansen converted a penalty. Four minutes later, Hansen found the slashing Sadeyah Rosa, who hammered into net from a yard out.

Anguilla pulled a goal back in the 30th as Adriana Connor punched in a shot from inside the area.

But back came Curacao in the second half. Lauryn Richardson made it 4-1 on the hour-mark with a calm penalty conversion.

Two minutes later in the 62nd, Hansen scored her second of the night when her shot trickled in past Anguilla goalkeeper Esther Ward.

Anguilla would get one last goal in the 89th through Camile Gumbs, whose corner kick ended up rolling off the fingertips of Curacao's Julainy Fanijten and into goal.

Aruba vs. Bonaire

Aruba avenged their 3-1 defeat to Bonaire in Group A from last Thursday, with a 5-0 victory at home at the Complejo Deportivo Guillermo Prospero Trinidad in Oranjestad.

Aisse Gumbs opened the scoring in the 30th when she finished off a pass from Bonny Lammers.

Tarianna Doornkamp then doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time with a strong right-footed finish.

Vanessa Susanna stretched the advantage in the 63rd, thanks in part to a nice pass from Lammers, who then scored a goal of her own in the 86th to make it 4-0 when she ran onto a long ball from Aruba goalkeeper Hadassah Kock.

Susanna then capped the 5-0 festivities in the 90+4 when she turned in a rebound off a Lammers shot.

Belize vs. Turks and Caicos Islands

Belize consolidated their lead atop Group A with their fourth win in as many games, as they after blanked Turks and Caicos Islands 3-0 at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan.

The host broke the deadlock in the 44th and did so in style. A free kick from Mikhaila Bowden was played on the ground to Kaite Jones, who then flipped the ball to herself and hit an overhead kick into net for a 1-0 Belize lead.

Momentum was on Belize’s side, and they doubled the cushion in the 48th on a Right-footed finish from Khalydia Velasquez.

Jones then completed her brace of the night in the 52nd with a header off a corner kick.

As if things weren't already bad enough for Turks and Caicos Islands, Pekiera Brooks was given marching orders in the 56th when she picked up a second yellow card of the night.

However, Belize was unable to make the numerical advantage count to add to their tally.

Jan Vertonghen does not believe there will be two players who dominate the Ballon d'Or during the next decade in the way Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have done.

Messi scooped his record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or on Monday in Paris.

The 36-year-old led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar last year, and also enjoyed a fine individual season with Paris Saint-Germain.

This Ballon d'Or will almost certainly be Messi's last. Since 2008, he or Ronaldo have won every edition of the award bar two, with Luka Modric taking it in 2018 and Karim Benzema in 2022.

Messi finished ahead of Erling Haaland – who scored 52 goals in his first season at Manchester City – and his former club-mate Kylian Mbappe, who played a direct part in 50 goals in all competitions for PSG and was the World Cup's leading scorer.

While Haaland and Mbappe have been tipped to fight it out for the award over the next decade, former Tottenham and Ajax defender Vertonghen thinks the days of two players dominating are over.

"I don't think it's going to be two guys dominating for the next 15 years," Vertonghen, an Athlete Partner for APEX, told Stats Perform.

"There are a lot of massive talents. Obviously, you've got Haaland and Mbappe already there for a couple of years, but then if you look at [Jude] Bellingham, what he's doing now, [Jamal] Musiala, I love him, Phil Foden, Vinicius [Junior].

"Those are the young guys. I hope one day a defender or even a goalkeeper [can win]. Thibaut Courtois was very close the year [Real Madrid] won the Champions League.

"I'm probably forgetting 10 or 15 more names. With Belgium, we have a great couple of young guys. There's so many, and I hope one day it could go to a Belgian one."

Bellingham enjoyed a strong season with Borussia Dortmund, though has taken his play up to an elite level since his move to Real Madrid.

The England midfielder finished 18th in the overall voting, with Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala coming in 26th, 20 places behind Vinicius.

Kevin De Bruyne came fourth in the vote, and Vertonghen enthused over his compatriot's quality.

"Kevin, his passing ability is the one that stands out - you know that he is known for his assists and his vision, but he understands the game so well," he said.

"He knows how to use the space, where to run, he is very, very good in pressing which is something you don't really think of when you think of him, you think of assists, vision, scoring goals, but the way he is able to understand how a team builds up, he's just a genius of the pitch.

"Whenever I played against him with Tottenham, we would always try to build up on the other side because he's the one that will get the team going."

Trinidad and Tobago will be missing two of their key players when they tackle Puerto Rico in their return-leg Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup qualifier on Tuesday evening.

Maria-Frances Serrant and Chrissy Mitchell, both failed to make the trip to Puerto Rico due to visa issues. This serves as another major blue to twin island republic's chances, as the Richard Hood-coached team is intent on overturning the 1-2 loss they suffered, to the same opponents at Hasely Crawford Stadium, last Friday.

Eddie Howe denied Newcastle are on a revenge mission against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup as the Magpies boss weighs up his diminishing options for the fourth-round clash.

Newcastle’s long wait for a first domestic trophy since 1955 was extended by Erik ten Hag’s United, who claimed a 2-0 victory in last season’s final between the teams at Wembley in February.

United have been in patchy form this season and come into Tuesday’s encounter at Old Trafford reeling from being outclassed in the Manchester derby at the weekend as City walked away with a 3-0 win.

But Howe anticipates Premier League form can be parked to one side for now, with both sides set to ring the changes, and he was adamant vengeance for eight months ago is not a motivation ahead of the trip.

Howe said: “That’s not our emotion as I sit here now. Our emotion is just to try to prepare and win the game. One win and we’re into the quarter-final of the competition. We loved our run in it last year.

“Manchester United are a top team with top players. One of the key tests of any team is how you respond to setbacks. That’s always what you’re looking to do when you’re in the manager’s position.

“They’ve got some very good results lately and have won some games late. Whenever you play Manchester City, as we know they’re very, very difficult games.

“When you go into a cup tie, to a degree you leave that form behind. This is a one-off game and I’m sure both teams will be motivated to try and win.”

Injuries to several first-team players – including Alexander Isak, Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy – have been exacerbated by Sandro Tonali being handed a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules.

Joe Willock has made a couple of substitute appearances since a long injury lay-off and Callum Wilson and Joelinton have shrugged off issues of their own, but Howe is wary of overburdening some players.

Howe admitted he is uncharted territory as the Champions League has increased Newcastle’s workload – they play Borussia Dortmund next week after welcoming Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday.

He said: “You just have to roll with the punches, absorb the hits and that’s what we’re going to try to do. It’s not ideal for us, especially with the season to last year – it’s a totally different feel.

“We’re not in that position now so we’re going to need everybody in the squad to step up. The key message is everyone has to give a bit more. To not use our squad (on Tuesday) would be really foolish.

“(Last season) whet the appetite for us, we want this on a more regular basis, we’re determined to get back there. That’s the challenge for us – can we? Tomorrow will dictate what we do in this competition.

“It’s going to be a bit of a juggling act for us, but we do have the players that can be flexible and can play different positions. It’s one of the strengths of our squad.”

Anthony Gordon could be up front in place of Wilson while Lewis Hall may start, having struggled for minutes since moving to Tyneside, initially on loan with an obligation to buy, from Chelsea.

Howe added: “He has a big role. He’s a talented player, he can play various positions for us which in our current position we’re going to need. The best is yet to come, without a doubt.

“He’s been training well and adapting to quite a big change in his life so for such a young player to move from London and settle in here, I think he’s done it well.”