Jude Bellingham hailed "unbelievable human being" Gareth Southgate, while Kieran Trippier and Eberechi Eze also paid tribute to the outgoing England boss.

Southgate announced on Tuesday he would step down as the Three Lions' head coach following their heartbreaking Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain.

The 53-year-old was overseeing his second successive European Championship final since replacing Sam Allardyce in September 2016, while also guiding England to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals.

Southgate departs having won 61 of his 102 matches at the helm, with only Walter Winterbottom and Bobby Robson managing England on more occasions.

And Bellingham saluted the man under whom he made his Three Lions debut in 2020 before becoming a key member of the side.

"I'd like to thank Gareth and his staff for the great memories during his tenure," the Real Madrid midfielder wrote on Instagram.

"From the point of view of a fan who has become a member of the squad, it's been a rollercoaster of amazing emotions that has instilled hope and joy back into our country.

"It was a privilege being led by someone who is so dedicated and passionate. Not only is Gareth easily one of the best coaches in the history of the national team, but also an unbelievable human being. Thank you for everything and all the best in the next chapter, Gaffer."

Trippier has won all 54 of his England caps under Southgate, while playing a key role at each of his four major tournaments at the helm.

"Want to say thank you to Gareth for everything," the Newcastle United defender said. "A top coach who I know will be successful wherever his next role may be. Thank you."

"Would like to thank Gareth, not only for giving me the opportunity to play in my first major tournament but also for all you and your staff have done to get this England team to where we are today," Eze added.

"We are closer than ever to achieving what we dream of and that is hugely down to what you have created. I wish you all the best for the future."

Kieran Trippier says England cannot use tiredness as an excuse for their Euro 2024 heartbreak after losing the final to Spain.

The Three Lions fought back through Cole Palmer after Nico Williams' early second-half opener but conceded a late Mikel Oyarzabal goal in their 2-1 defeat to La Roja.

It is the second consecutive European Championships final England lost, with Gareth Southgate admitting after Sunday's match that some players were "a little bit short of their physical peak".

However, Trippier, who started all six of their games en route to the final, says that is not an excuse.

"The team that we've got is fit," the right-back said. "If you see the running stats, I think we're probably the highest in the whole tournament. So that's not an excuse.

"They [Spain] get the second goal, and it's always difficult when you're chasing the game against a team like Spain.

"Football is all about fine margins. It's one of those where the lads gave everything."

England's run to the final was not a smooth one, having to come from behind in the last 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals to set up the meeting with Spain.

Jude Bellingham scored a late equaliser to ensure the Three Lions did not make an early exit in the round of 16 against Slovakia, while 22-year-old Palmer came off the bench to score in the final.

Kobbie Mainoo and Marc Guehi also impressed in their maiden major tournament appearances, and Trippier is confident England have a bright future ahead of them.

"They will have learned a great deal from this tournament," added Trippier.

"The young players stepped up in big moments for us. They can learn a lot from this. It will make them grow."

Gareth Southgate expects a tough encounter against Switzerland but knows England must be better to secure progression to the semi-finals of Euro 2024. 

Southgate will celebrate his 100th game in charge of the Three Lions in Dusseldorf, hopeful of marking the milestone with not only a win, but an improved performance. 

Southgate may not have overseen his landmark fixture if it wasn't for Jude Bellingham's late intervention to send the game to extra-time against Slovakia. 

Bellingham scored England's latest ever goal in normal time at a major tournament in some style, turning home Marc Guehi's header with a stunning bicycle kick. 

Harry Kane headed England over the line just 50 seconds into extra-time, reaching a tournament quarter-final for a fourth time under Southgate's stewardship.

"I can imagine how everybody's going to react to that even though we've won, but we're still in there," Southgate said.

"We want to be better, I'm not going to hide from that. But the spirit and the character was there for everybody to see."

Switzerland, however, have been one of the standout sides at the tournament thus far, knocking out Euro 2020 winners Italy in the quarter-finals. 

Despite England's favourable record against the Swiss, Southgate insists his side will face a different challenge in Dusseldorf. 

"I think the game against the Swiss will throw completely different tactical problems, just as difficult, just as complex," Southgate said. "A different solution to solve."

For Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin, he is confident of causing an upset to set up a clash with the Netherlands or Turkiye in the semi-finals. 

A key feature of Switzerland's style of play has been their intensity in the press, something Yakin believes can disrupt England. 

"When we put on our pressing, we won't let them play. That's our job," Yakin said. 

"We played well against Germany, we played well against Italy, so why shouldn't we beat England?

"We're in a good mood now. Let's see, it's a good challenge and my team is ready to have this big fight against England."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

England - Kieran Trippier

Much has been made of Kieran Trippier's poor performances at Euro 2024 so far, but he has proven to be a reliable attacking outlet for Southgate through the years.

The Three Lions are set to revert to a back three, a shape that brought them so much success at previous tournaments and could unlock Trippier's attacking potential. 

Tripppier has created more chances (seven) and made more line-breaking passes behind the defensive line (six) than any other England player at the tournament so far. 

Switzerland - Granit Xhaka

A familiar face to many within the England camp, Granit Xhaka will be given the task of halting the influence of Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham. 

But the former Arsenal midfielder has added an extra element to his game, often offering a threat in the more advanced areas for Switzerland. 

Xhaka has created more chances (eight), completed more passes (254) and made more line-breaking passes (51) than any other Switzerland player so far at Euro 2024.

MATCH PREDICTION: ENGLAND WIN

Despite the nature of their victory over Slovakia, England are still predicted as favourites to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2024, winning 44.9% of pre-match simulations in Opta's data-led predictions.

The Three Lions have lost just one of their last 24 meetings with Switzerland in all competitions (17 wins, six draws), and are unbeaten in 13 (nine wins, four draws), which perhaps contributes to their favourable win probability. 

This will be the fourth meeting between England and Switzerland at a major tournament, their third at the European Championships (two wins, one draw previously). 

However, Switzerland have built new-found belief at these European Championships and will have confidence of causing an upset. 

Yakin's side have lost just one of their last 14 in the competition (five wins, eight draws), having endured a run of six losses in eight matches (two draws) at the tournament beforehand. 

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

England - 44.9%

Draw - 29%

Switzerland - 26%

Gareth Southgate is now "ambivalent" towards the constant scrutiny he and England face, unsurprised his team were criticised even after making a winning start to Euro 2024.

England beat Serbia 1-0 on Sunday and have the opportunity to secure their place in the last 16 against Denmark on Thursday.

Victory would mark the first time the Three Lions have started a Euros campaign with back-to-back wins. Indeed, prior to last weekend's match, they had only once won their championship opener – also under Southgate at Euro 2020.

Those facts were relayed to Southgate on the eve of the Denmark match, with the England manager asked if too much was expected of a team whose stuttering second-half performance against Serbia was picked apart by fans and pundits.

But Southgate, in his fourth tournament in the role, has come to terms with the narrative around the England team.

"I've been in this environment for eight years, so I understand it all," he said. "It used to annoy me, but now I'm ambivalent to it. Winning matches in tournaments is incredibly hard."

Those younger members of Southgate's squad who have not previously experienced the tournament rollercoaster might have been a little more taken aback by the response to the win.

Southgate explained: "You can see a lot of them who haven't been with England – 'right, we've won our first game, and this is how it is?'

"That's a strange experience for some of the boys who haven't been with us. It's great that we've got experienced players who have lived through it who can say, 'no, no, this is what's important, this is how we stay on track'.

"Our assessment of the game is most important. We're never slow to pull things up that aren't right, that aren't good enough. So, that's the most important view, the way we dissect the game."

Southgate did acknowledge Sunday's match did not go entirely to plan, with Serbia gaining a foothold after half-time, albeit without really threatening to cancel out Jude Bellingham's early header.

"We didn't set out to sit back," insisted Southgate, with similar patterns in previous tournament matches having been a point of contention.

Both Southgate and the England supporters will hope for a more complete performance against Denmark then, although the manager confirmed left-back Luke Shaw would not return from injury in time to feature. Right-back Kieran Trippier is in line to deputise again.

Harry Kane offers more to England than simply goals, says Kieran Trippier, who is not concerned about the striker's lack of touches in Sunday's 1-0 win over Serbia.

Jude Bellingham's goal was the difference as England recorded a hard-fought victory to open their Group C campaign, meaning they have started all four of their major tournaments under Gareth Southgate with a win. 

However, their performance attracted criticism from some quarters as England managed just five shots to Serbia's six, accumulating a total of 0.52 expected goals (xG).

Kane was a victim of the cagey nature of the contest, recording fewer touches (24) and successful passes (nine) than any other England starter. 

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford at least doubled both of those tallies, having 48 touches and completing 25 passes.

Kane did go close to giving England a two-goal cushion in the second half as he saw a header tipped onto the crossbar by Predrag Rajkovic, but Trippier says he should not be judged purely on goals.

"Obviously it was difficult because they played five at the back, but what people don't realise is what Harry does off the ball," Trippier told reporters in the mixed zone.

"Of course, he scores goals but what he did for the team today was incredible, holding the ball up and bringing other players into play. 

"People just focus on goals with Harry but internally, as team-mates, we appreciate what he does off the ball."

England have, however, kept five successive clean sheets in group-stage matches at the Euros, the longest such run in the competition's history.

"I would say it's about managing the game," Trippier continued. "There will always be moments in games where the opposition will have a spell of 10 or 15 minutes of possession. 

"It's about being nice and compact and not conceding. We have got experienced players in the group like [Kyle] Walker, Harry, myself, players that can help the younger players manage the games. I thought we did that tonight."

Fans were hoping to see a free-flowing England display after watching Germany and Spain kick off with resounding wins, but their figure of 0.52 xG is the fourth-lowest of any team to have played at Euro 2024 thus far, after Scotland (0.02), Serbia (0.18) and Albania (0.51).

However, Jarrod Bowen – who teed up Kane's big second-half chance – is not worried about the performances of other nations.

"We are so focused on ourselves and what we can do, other teams are irrelevant. They are their countries and we are England," he said.

"We focus on ourselves and our focus was to win the game not because other teams won, but because it was a statement for us to win the first game going into Thursday.

"That was our mindset coming into this game and that will be it, full focus on us."

Phil Foden could be the Euro 2024 player of the tournament, according to England and Manchester City team-mate John Stones.

Foden scored 19 league goals and added eight assists this season as he lifted a sixth Premier League title with City at the age of just 24.

His efforts saw him named Premier League and Manchester City player of the year, and he now turns his attention to international football as England head to Germany looking to claim a first major tournament victory since winning the World Cup in 1966.

Stones has full confidence in his national and club team-mate's ability to play a crucial role for the Three Lions in Germany.

When asked if Foden could end up winning player of the tournament honours at the Euros, Stones told reporters: "Yes. I'm biased, [but] I think he's absolutely incredible.

"First how he plays the game, so silky playing like he's in the park.

"I feel like he has brought so much to his game, goals, maturity, knowing of situations, his pressing.

"This season has been incredible for him and I hope and I'm sure he will bring that to the tournament."

Stones believes Foden is "100 per cent" among world-class players such as Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham and feels England's attacking prowess alongside Foden could somewhat take the pressure off him.

"I think it probably suits Phil that maybe that [spotlight] is not all on him," Stones added. "We all know the quality that he's got, what he can bring and does for the team.

"I think in these occasions, it's where it brings it out of you and maybe it's time to show the world what he can really do."

Kieran Trippier echoed his fellow Three Lions defender's sentiments on Foden, saying: "To be honest with you, I can't pick out individuals, because everybody has been quality, but obviously Phil Foden is Phil Foden. He's always one of my favourite players.

"With Phil, I could walk back into the camp and he's got a ball at his feet. He's obsessed with football.

"Everybody sees him on the pitch, but what people don't see in training is his vision, his technique, and his ability is frightening."

England will be without Bukayo Saka, John Stones and Harry Maguire for Monday's friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina, manager Gareth Southgate confirmed on Sunday.

Saka will be rested after missing Arsenal's last Premier League game of the season, while Stones is still finding fitness after his club campaign with title-winning Manchester City.

In more concerning news for the Three Lions, Manchester United pair Maguire and Luke Shaw are potential longer-term absentees ahead of Euro 2024, which starts on June 14 in Germany.

"All are progressing well," Southgate said at his pre-match press conference. "We are pleased with the progress they've made, none of them will be involved tomorrow.

"Same tomorrow for Bukayo Saka and for John Stones. Everybody else will be involved.

"John has reported a bit later so hasn't worked with us, he will follow an individual programme. Bukayo is fine, he will be rested tomorrow and should be available by Friday."

Anthony Gordon is another doubt after posting for England duty following an impressive season with Newcastle United.

"Gordon has a chance to be available for Friday," Southgate added. "The other two [Maguire and Shaw] are more unlikely, let's see how far they can go."

Though there are injury concerns, Southgate will likely head to the upcoming European Championship with a similar defence as to what helped England to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018.

The Three Lions boss says that proves the quality of his defence, which boasts the likes of Maguire, Stones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

"It's testimony to their consistency," he continued. "They've all been playing at top clubs throughout that time. They have delivered in the biggest matches under intense pressure.

"There is a bond in that group from experiencing the big nights together. Coming through those challenges, we have some good young defenders coming through now.

"What they are brilliant at is making the players feel welcome. They have allowed to settle in as any of those players could be in the team over the next five or six weeks."

Trippier is expected to captain the side in the absence of Harry Kane, who is not likely to start but should be fit from the bench after his back injury sustained when playing for Bayern Munich.

"It's going to be very special," the Newcastle defender said of captaining his country. "I have to thank Gareth for giving me that trust.

"But if I have the armband or not, or if I play or not, I will always be there for the team. To lead the lads out will be special. My son will be mascot as well."

Newcastle United overcame Tottenham on penalties following a 1-1 draw in Wednesday's controversial friendly in Melbourne, just three days after the end of the Premier League season.

A crowd of 78,419 packed into Melbourne Cricket Ground to watch two of the Premier League's top seven face off in a post-season game which had been criticised on player welfare grounds. 

James Maddison celebrated being named in England's preliminary Euro 2024 squad by firing home Spurs' opener after 32 minutes, before his Three Lions team-mate Kieran Tripper was substituted after just 36 minutes.

Alexander Isak levelled from close range on the stroke of half-time, and the game went straight to spot-kicks after neither team was able to force a second-half winner. 

Bryan Gil was denied by Mark Gillespie from Tottenham's first kick, with the nine subsequent attempts all successful as the Magpies triumphed 5-4.

After the game, Newcastle boss Howe moved to allay fears over Trippier's condition, saying his withdrawal was planned.

"We spoke with Kieran and thought the best thing to do was for him to start the game," Howe said.

"He's still in the early stages of recovery from his calf problem, we didn't want to take risks with him so half an hour was the aim. No injury there."  

Ange Postecoglou, meanwhile, immediately turned his attentions towards the transfer window after failing to oversee a win in his native Australia.

"Last year, it certainly benefited us having a couple in early and having all the whole squad for pre-season," he said. 

"Everyone wants to do business early, everyone is keen to bring players in but the reality of it is it usually takes a little bit of time.

"But the good thing for us is we know what we need to do, we've had the plan in place for quite a while and it's just about now going through that process." 

Despite including him in his preliminary squad, Gareth Southgate says it is a "long shot" that Luke Shaw will be fit for Euro 2024.

Shaw has been sidelined since February with a muscle injury but is the only recognised left-back in Southgate’s 33-man squad as Ben Chilwell also misses out due to injury.

Joe Gomez is an option for the position after filling in for Liverpool at times this season, while Kieran Trippier has also played at left-back for England in the past.

However, Shaw has been the first-choice left-back for the last two major tournaments, and Southgate admits that he will give him every chance to be fit.

"[Luke Shaw's] up against it," said Southgate. "He's missed a lot of football.

"The fact that he has been our first choice in that position, we've probably given him a lot longer than we would have done.

"I’ve talked with him and the medical team, we’ve been liaising with Manchester United, I'm not sure what's realistic at this time. I have to say, he's a long shot."

Southgate may have other injury problems on his hands. Harry Kane missed the end of Bayern Munich’s season due to a back injury, while Harry Maguire has not played since April.

"The job here is to adapt to the hand of cards you're dealt with," Southgate added.

"The injuries are a very complex thing. Sometimes players have had to play more than they might have done. Some players have come back earlier than they might have done.

"There's definitely been a lot of matches in the calendar. But it's too easy to say it's just the [fault of a] winter World Cup. It's lots of different reasons."

Southgate will cut his squad down to 26 players after England face Iceland in their final pre-tournament friendly at Wembley Stadium on June 7. 

Ange Postecoglou has labelled Tottenham’s post-season friendly in Melbourne as a “unique opportunity” but admitted it is unlikely to become a regular occurrence.

Spurs announced earlier this month they would visit Australia after the Premier League season concludes to take on Premier League rivals Newcastle in an exhibition fixture.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground clash on May 22 has been roundly criticised due to player welfare concerns and for a lack of regard for the environment, a matter of weeks after Green Football Weekend.

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Postecoglou defended the merits of the post-season friendly, which will see the 58-year-old return to his home city.

“We leave straight after the last game (at Sheffield United) and we’ll be taking everyone who’s fit,” Postecoglou revealed.

“We thought that with our season being so disrupted and not a lot of games, this was a unique opportunity for us.

“I wouldn’t see this as something that would happen on a regular basis unless we felt the benefits would outweigh the costs.

“On this occasion when we balanced everything up, we felt it was a good opportunity to take the club to the other side of the world and help us continue to grow the football club.”

England boss Gareth Southgate was recently asked about the friendly, which will involve Euro 2024 hopefuls Kieran Trippier, Anthony Gordon and James Maddison, and predicted post-season fixtures will happen more often.

Southgate expressed his hope that none of his players would suffer injuries.

But Postecoglou insisted: “I’m sure Gareth will be a club coach one day and he’ll get a different perspective, as he has been in the past.

“I don’t think Gareth has said anything, or any other national team manager.

“I was a national team manager. I used to sweat over it at the weekend when the players were playing whether that was a normal game, a friendly game, whatever game it is.

“The flip side of that is there were quite a few club coaches on edge with national team duty this week so it’s the world we live in.

“There has to be a balance. We’ve thought it through as a football club and it’s fair to say if we’d been in Europe and had a really big season, we probably would have made a different decision.

“We weighed everything up and felt like there was a real benefit to playing this game.”

Before the trip Down Under, Spurs will aim to get their Champions League qualification hopes back on track at home to Luton on Saturday.

Tottenham are boosted by the return of Micky van de Ven after a recent muscle injury, while Richarlison is fit despite a knee issue preventing him from getting minutes for Brazil this month.

Richarlison has made headlines after opening up about his mental health struggles during an interview with ESPN Brasil this week.

The Brazil forward, who back in September expressed his intention to seek “psychological help”, revealed he was in a state of depression after the 2022 World Cup and “wanted to give up”.

Postecoglou knows Richarlison is not alone in feeling that way as a footballer, adding: “It’s not that uncommon. It’s not, not in my experience.

“They’re human beings, but for the most part it’s always dealt behind closed doors.

“I guess it’s striking because players or managers or people involved in football haven’t come out publicly before.

“But I can assure you…there are problems that players and people involved in our industry deal with. The amount of money you have in the bank balance or your fame doesn’t shield you from that.

“It’s a credit to him. He could have dealt with this privately obviously but I think the public aspect of it, it’s a brave decision for him.

“More importantly it’s hopefully a great conduit for others to reach out and seek help when it’s required.”

Gareth Southgate has plenty to mull over as he weighs up England’s options and issues ahead of selecting his European Championship squad.

The Euro 2020 runners-up will announce an expanded provisional group on May 21 and have until late on June 7 to submit their final 23-man squad to UEFA.

Following the final two friendlies before Southgate’s selection, the PA news agency takes a look at how the England boss likely sees his options.

GOALKEEPERS

On the plane: Jordan Pickford (Everton).

In the departure lounge: Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace) and Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).

Hoping for a late ticket: Jack Butland (Rangers), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Nick Pope (Newcastle) and James Trafford (Burnley).

Pickford has been England’s number one for the last three major tournaments and that will continue in Germany. Ramsdale appeared his closest contender but is now clinging onto a squad spot having been usurped as Arsenal’s number one. Johnstone is the likely number three, especially with Pope injured.

DEFENDERS

On the plane: Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle) and Kyle Walker (Manchester City).

In the departure lounge: Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United).

Hoping for a late ticket: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Eric Dier (Bayern Munich, loan), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Reece James (Chelsea), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan).

Ignoring boarding calls: Ben White (Arsenal).

Maguire, Stones, Walker and Trippier have been to every major tournament under Southgate and are set to be on the plane once more, assuming they are fit.

Guehi missed March’s games with an issue of his own, but Southgate is confident his third-choice centre-back will be fit for the summer. Konsa and Dunk are pushing for the fourth spot. The latter impressed during his first England appearances this week, whereas Dunk’s stock dropped with a costly error in each friendly.

Branthwaite received his first call-up but did not feature, while Gomez and Colwill – who missed this camp through a toe complaint – would offer versatility to a 23-man squad.

James faces a race against time to be involved but left-back is a more pressing issue. Chilwell improved against Belgium after a poor performance against Brazil. Shaw is Southgate’s first choice but is a doubt for the Euros given he is not due to return to fitness until May.

White would likely be going to a third straight tournament had he not snubbed an England call-up this month.

MIDFIELDERS

On the plane: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), James Maddison (Tottenham) and Declan Rice (Arsenal).

In the departure lounge: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) and Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United).

Hoping for a late ticket: Mason Mount (Manchester United) and Kalvin Phillips (West Ham, loan).

Real Madrid star Bellingham and Arsenal man Rice are shoo-ins. Barring injuries and a woeful end to the season, vice-captain Henderson will join them whatever onlookers think of that. Gallagher appears to have also rubberstamped his spot along with Maddison.

Beyond that, though, there is a lot up in the air. Injury denied Southgate the chance to see Alexander-Arnold in midfield against high-level opposition in a month when 18-year-old Mainoo impressively staked his claim, earning the man of the match award on his first start against Belgium.

Phillips, overlooked for this squad after a disastrous start to life on loan at West Ham, is running out of time to earn a recall. Southgate says Mount is an outside bet.

FORWARDS

On the plane: Phil Foden (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) and Bukayo Saka (Arsenal).

In the departure lounge: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle) Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Ivan Toney (Brentford) and Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).

Hoping for a late ticket: Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea) and Callum Wilson (Newcastle)

In Kane, Saka and Foden, the England boss has three starters, never mind selections. It gets tougher after that due to the competition for spots.

Southgate warned at his squad unveiling that established Rashford and Grealish had a battle on their hands for a place at the Euros – a fight that increased after new boy Gordon impressed and Bowen put in his best performance yet against Belgium. Injury denied Palmer the chance to truly shine this month, but he is another knocking at the door. Chelsea team-mate Sterling looks set for a summer off.

Toney scored a penalty as he won his second cap on Tuesday and may have just edged ahead of Watkins in the race to be Kane’s back-up. Solanke is the next cab off the rank behind those two.

Kieran Trippier has backed young pretender Tino Livramento to establish himself as England’s right-back as he attempts to fend off his advances for both club and country.

Livramento, a £32million summer signing from Southampton, is likely to replace Trippier in Newcastle’s starting line-up for Monday night’s Premier League trip to Chelsea as the 33-year-old faces a spell on the sidelines with a minor calf injury.

However Trippier, who has been the standard-bearer for much of what the Magpies have achieved in the last two years, knows the 21-year-old is gunning for his places in both the Newcastle team and the England squad.

He said: “Tino, for such a young guy, is unbelievable. I’ve had loads of talks with Tino, firstly to try to help him. I know he’s my position, but I don’t want to be selfish.

“He’ll be unbelievable for Newcastle in the future and an England right-back as well. That’s how highly I rate him.”

That is a view shared by Magpies head coach Eddie Howe, who has been hugely impressed by Livramento’s performances to date at left-back, right-back and in midfield, a process which continued last weekend when he scored a superb solo goal in a 3-0 victory over Wolves after replacing the injured Trippier.

Asked if the youngster’s challenge had to be to oust the former Burnley, Tottenham and Atletico Madrid man on both the domestic and international stages, Howe said: “Of course. If you ask Tino, that will be his aim and if you ask me, I’d want every player to feel the same way.

“If you’re not in the team, your aim and ambition should be to try to get into the team, to try to prove you’re better than the team-mate that you’re competing against.

“If you have that in your squad, I think you’ve got a healthy squad, you’ve got a good balance between being a good team-mate and fighting for your place.

“Tino has shown all those qualities this year. He has been learning and developing behind the scenes, he’s been no doubt picking things up off Kieran and I’ve enjoyed seeing them both battle against each other.”

Trippier will miss the trip to Chelsea and the FA Cup quarter-final at Manchester City which follows it, as well as England’s friendly double-header against Brazil and Belgium as a result of the injury which has robbed him of the opportunity to atone for the error which cost his side a place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

Asked what had been going through his head as he uncharacteristically allowed Mykhailo Mudryk to score a late equaliser 12 days after he had gifted Everton two goals, he said: “Do you know what? I don’t actually know.

“It was a strange one, really. I was just making a mistake and then making another mistake. I haven’t got any excuses, really.

“It’s just you make a mistake and you want to try even better and then because you’re trying so hard, you make another mistake, and it’s not me.”

Eddie Howe is hoping there is more to come from Newcastle after seeing them secure a first home win of 2024 and the 100th of his Premier League career.

The Magpies had not tasted victory at St James’ Park since they beat Fulham 3-0 on December 16, but they ended that run by beating injury-hit Wolves by the same scoreline to suggest they could finally be emerging from a difficult run.

Coming four days after they edged past Sky Best Championship Blackburn into the FA Cup quarter-finals, the win left head coach Howe in positive mood.

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He said: “Sometimes you just have to find a way to get over the finishing line and you know then that there are better performances ahead. I think we were in that moment today.

“I don’t think today was ever going to be a classic Newcastle performance, but I think it’s a building bridge closer to where we want to be.

“I thought Blackburn was very similar. We got through, that was the main thing. Today was slightly better again and I’d like to think now with the strength of the group returned that we will hopefully see continued improvement in performances.”

Newcastle were happy to sit back and try to hit the visitors on the break during the first half, and the ploy paid handsome dividends when Alexander Isak headed home after Bruno Guimaraes’ shot had been half blocked and then Anthony Gordon slotted into an empty net after goalkeeper Jose Sa had collided with team-mate Max Kilman.

Asked if the ploy had worked as he had hoped, Howe, who lost Kieran Trippier to a calf problem, added: “It was a slight tweak from our normal way of playing. We analyse our opposition, like we do always.

“There are always tweaks and little things we try to do to help us in our performance, and that was one today, to try to maybe play a slightly more transitional game.”

Wolves, who were without injured duo Hwang Hee-chan – he is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks by a hamstring injury – and Matheus Cunha and lost both Sa and Pedro Neto at half-time, gave as good as they got for long periods, but found Magpies keeper Martin Dubravka in resilient form again.

Their day was done when substitute Tino Livramento capped a good afternoon for the hosts in stoppage time with a fine solo run and finish to wrap up the win.

Head coach Gary O’Neill, however, was not convinced about the merits of Howe’s game plan.

He said: “There’s no way that Newcastle let us have a lot of the ball. We had a lot of the ball because we were really good with the ball.

“I know Eddie Howe, I know Newcastle. They press everybody, especially at home. The reason we had the ball was our quality and how good we were with it.”

O’Neil added: “I thought structurally we were the better side, had real control of the game, control of the ball, so I’m really proud of the group for what they gave today.”

Premier League clubs have largely kept their powder dry in this transfer window but could there be a flurry of activity on deadline day?

Here the PA news agency takes a look at what could go through before the top-flight window in England closes at 11pm on February 1.

Could Rashford make a shock move?

England forward Marcus Rashford is under the microscope again following his alleged hijinks in Belfast last week, which led to internal disciplinary measures being taken by Manchester United.

While United say they have drawn a line under the matter, Rashford is not as settled under Erik ten Hag as he might once have been.

Any departure from Old Trafford in the next day or so would still be regarded as a major surprise but Paris St Germain are reportedly keeping tabs on United’s homegrown 26-year-old.

Chelsea offloading before buying?

Conor Gallagher has been an integral part of Mauricio Pochettino’s side this season but with just 18 months left on his contract and no sign of an extension, the England midfielder has been linked with a switch to Tottenham.

Fulham and Wolves are said to be tracking another of Chelsea’s academy products in Armando Broja.

But lightening the books could allow the Blues to follow up reported interest in Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran and Newcastle forward Callum Wilson as well as Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies.

Newcastle keeping busy

Newcastle were expected to be one of the biggest movers but they are having to juggle the restrictions imposed by profit and sustainability and financial fair play rules with a desire to strengthen.

Indeed, boss Eddie Howe said this week it was “impossible” to add to their squad without selling first.

Kieran Trippier, Miguel Almiron and Bruno Guimaraes have all been linked with moves abroad but Newcastle have managed to resist any overtures thus far and will hope there are no major departures on Thursday.

Blades want cutting edge defender

Rock-bottom Sheffield United have brought in Chile striker Ben Brereton Diaz and former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Ivo Grbic this month but manager Chris Wilder wants someone experienced to bolster his backline.

The Blades have shipped 54 goals in 22 matches – by far the worst record in the league – and Wilder says the club is working “frantically” to get something over the line before the window shuts.

Hammers go for Jota

With Said Benrahma reportedly close to sealing a move to Ligue 1 club Lyon, West Ham could target former Celtic winger Jota to shore up the wing.

The Portuguese only swapped the Hoops for the Saudi Pro League last summer but has been heavily linked with a return to the UK.

However, David Moyes’ side could meet resistance from Al-Ittihad given Jota has been in Saudi Arabia for just six months.

Kieran Trippier says Bayern Munich’s interest is a “compliment” but insists he remains fully committed to Newcastle.

The Magpies reportedly rejected a bid from the German champions to pry the England international away from the north east this month.

Trippier reiterated that Bayern’s interest has not put him off from being an integral player for Eddie Howe’s side, insisting he wants to make history.

Speaking after Newcastle’s 2-0 FA Cup victory over Fulham, Trippier said: “It’s always a compliment when a team like Bayern come in for you but I want to make history with the club, win a trophy and help the club grow for as long as possible.

“I hope everybody knows my commitment to this club. It has not changed since I first arrived. It’s a transfer window, things happen, it’s not put me off or anything. I’m at Newcastle.

“Things happen in the background. I had loads of conversations with the manager, everything was positive, nothing has changed and I’m committed to Newcastle.”

Newcastle will need to sell players in order to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations.

Trippier credited the professionalism of his team-mates despite several members of the squad drawing interest from potential suitors.

He added: “It’s a transfer window. The players are committed and nothing will change.

“We have a great squad, I’ve spoken about the togetherness in our group. Nothing will take us off track.

“Loads of rumours go round and it didn’t put us off tonight.

“We can only focus on what we do on the pitch and what goes on in the background goes on in the background.”

Trippier endured a difficult December period which included a mistake leading to a goal and a penalty miss during Newcastle’s Carabao Cup exit to Chelsea.

The right-back showed signs of his best on Saturday, delivering dangerous crosses into the box in the lead up to goals from Sean Longstaff and Dan Burn.

Trippier said: “I’m happy to stand here and say I’ve gone through some bad moments, it’s not like we do it on purpose, it happens.

“I’ve been in this situation in my career before but I just hope this is the turning point and I know I can do better.

“I recognise when I’m in a bad moment but it’s a new year and a new chapter.”