EDDIE HOWE has admitted that Allan Saint-Maximin is unlikely to be available for Newcastle United’s trip to Everton on Thursday evening.

Saint-Maximin missed yesterday’s 6-1 thrashing of Tottenham because of a hamstring injury, and while Howe is hoping his recovery will move forward this week, he does not expect the Frenchman to be available for the trip to Goodison Park.

The Newcastle boss has also admitted to concerns over the fitness of Fabian Schar, with the Swiss centre-half having suffered a knock that forced him off during the second half of yesterday’s win.

Howe said: “I think Everton will be too early for Maxi. With Fabian, I don’t know how he is yet. We’ve got a couple of knocks in there.”

While there was obvious euphoria in the dressing room in the wake of yesterday’s victory, Howe was quick to turn his players’ thoughts towards Thursday’s trip to Merseyside.

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The win over Spurs lifted Newcastle back into third position in the Premier League table with seven more games to play.

He said: “There was that little bit of happiness after the game, which you want. There’s smiles, and that feeling of winning is unique.

“I’m delighted for the players they’re getting to experience that, but then I spoke about moving on to the next game very quickly.

“In a three-game week, you can’t get too high or celebrate too much. I want the players to be happy and content, but I want our focus to be on preparing for Everton now.”