HAVING watched Kieran Trippier impress as a left-back with England this week, Eddie Howe has admitted there could be occasions this season where he opts to switch the defender to the left of Newcastle United’s back four.

While Trippier has spent the vast majority of his domestic and international career at right-back, there have been times when Gareth Southgate has opted to field him on the opposite flank.

Tuesday’s friendly against Scotland at Hampden Park was one such occasion, and Trippier responded with an accomplished defensive display as England claimed a 3-1 win.

Howe has not yet opted to switch Trippier to the left-hand side with Newcastle, but with the fixture schedule set to ramp up considerably as the Magpies prepare to make their Champions League return in Milan next week, the head coach admits it is something he could consider.

“Kieran’s a versatile player,” said Howe, ahead of today’s teatime kick-off against Brentford. “He’s played at left-back a number of times over the years, especially for England. Never say never – we’ll look at everything and try to pick what we think is the best team for each game.”

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Newcastle’s right-back options are set to increase in the next few weeks with the return of long-term absentee Emil Krafth.

Krafth has been sidelined since damaging his cruciate ligaments more than a year ago, but has been building up his recovery work on the training ground in the last couple of weeks.

“It’s early steps for Emil, but it’s great to see him back,” said Howe. “He’s a brilliant character. He’s probably trained for four or five sessions now, and he’s got better with each one. I think the group are really happy to see him with us again – he’s got a great mentality and is a vital part of the squad.”

Krafth was one of four senior players that Howe had to omit from Newcastle’s Champions League squad which was submitted to UEFA earlier this month.

With only 23 players allowed to be included on Newcastle’s A-list, Howe was also forced to exclude Mark Gillespie, Javier Manquillo and Matt Ritchie from the club’s European squad.

“It was very difficult,” he said. “It’s a really difficult situation for me and the club to be in, having to leave players out of the squad. You don’t want to leave anyone out – it’s a reward for the whole squad for what they achieved last year.

“We had to make some very tough calls because of the rules and regulations that the Champions League put in place. They weren’t easy conversations, but they were ones that we had to make.”