EDDIE HOWE insists he will not be rushing to make additions in the January transfer window just because his Newcastle United side have suffered a dramatic downturn in form in the last month.

The Magpies’ miserable end to 2023 continued this afternoon as they crashed to a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest, with their former striker, Chris Wood, claiming a hat-trick for the victorious visitors.

Howe has faced a major injury crisis this season, with a number of players still on the long-term absentee list, and has regularly bemoaned his inability to make changes, both in terms of his starting line-up and the make-up of his bench.

With the transfer window due to reopen next week, there is an opportunity to bring in reinforcements from outside, but with his side no longer having to worry about matches in either the Champions League or Carabao Cup in the second half of the season, he intends to tread carefully in January.

“January is a different month to what December was in terms of schedule, so we need to make sure we get the decisions right for the here and now, and also for the long-term planning of the squad,” said Howe.

“It’s going to be a delicate one for us. My gut feeling is the answer always lies within. The people and the players we have here, I think we're good enough.

“Of course, we've suffered the injuries that we have and there are still players that aren't available. I don't think there's anyone coming back within the next few days, so it's really good that we had Joelinton return.

“He’s been a massive miss for us, and we’ve still got players that are finding their fitness from playing matches, which is never ideal. We've not had it easy, and I think that needs to be acknowledged by me more than anybody else in my reflection of the team.”

Jamaal Lascelles became the latest player to join the injury list when he was forced off in the first half of last weekend’s defeat at Luton Town, but while the skipper was not able to feature in the squad for today’s game, Howe does not anticipate him being unavailable for too long. “Is it long term? No, we don’t think so,” said Howe.

Dan Burn was holding his shoulder during the Forest defeat, but Howe is not too worried about that either.

“I believe Dan is okay,” he said. “Dan has a long-term shoulder problem that he manages, and he gets his shoulder strapped before every game. I don’t think there’s anything to be concerned about.”