NEWCASTLE boss Eddie Howe admits he doesn’t want to fly to Australia for an end-of-season friendly against Tottenham.
Toon face Spurs in Melbourne on May 22, just three days after the final Premier League game of the campaign.
Both clubs are expecting their internationals to be involved despite the Euros being just around the corner.
Howe admits the 21,000-mile round trip is not what the players need after an exhausting year, but accepts he has little choice as Newcastle try to boost commercial revenues to navigate FFP rules.
He said: “I don’t think it’s something that, being honest, in my position you’re saying ‘I want to go’.
“But there are different trains of thought here and I understand the club’s position, so we will back it if the club says we are going.
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“Sometimes we are told to do certain things. From a physical perspective, after a long season, it’s not something we would want to do.
“But we respect the demands that the club is moving forward very quickly and we have to keep up the pace with everything they want to do.”
The Magpies are desperately trying to increase revenues so they don’t have to sell their star players this summer.
Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimarares has been linked with PSG while Arsenal are plotting a move for red-hot Swedish striker Alexander Isak.
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Howe insists Newcastle need to show they are moving forward to convince them to stay on Tyneside, but accepts they will struggle if rivals offer them huge wage increases.
He added: “Finishing in Europe would certainly help but a lot will depend on our ambition and where the club is going to go in the foreseeable future.
“You set your ambitions not just in terms of talking but in actions, so we need to show to them that we are a club moving forward.
“My intention would be to keep Bruno and Isak for as long as we possibly can, but I can never make guarantees.
“If a player can double his wages you are already in a difficult position.
“Who knows what the future holds but we have to try and make the players feel at home and happy. Hopefully that is enough to keep them here for a long time.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
