Howe eyeing another memorable Magpies win over Red Devils

Newcastle sealed a number of unforgettable victories over Monday's opponents under the guidance of Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson, who presided over some entertaining United line-ups during the first decade of the Premier League era.

With Ralf Rangnick's men due to arrive at St. James' Park (8pm kick-off), head coach Howe wants his side to secure what would be a vital victory in their battle to retain their top flight status.

But while his admiration for those lauded teams of previous eras remains, he admits it will take some time for the Magpies to "transition" into a similarly exciting outfit, with plenty of work to be done on the defensive side of their game in the short term.

"There's a lot of memories that spring to mind of those games – Newcastle tended, at that period of time, to have memorable games against most teams, to be honest," said Howe. "I think there are stand-out moments you think back to, and I can picture some of the goals and the scenes in my mind.

"It's up to us to try and recreate those times – the attacking verve, the swagger that that team had, the flair the individual players possessed, but then the team took that identity over and it's certainly something we're desperate to do.

"But we're going to need a little bit of time to see that in full creation. At the moment, we're still progressing, and we have to obviously get the defensive side of our game right before we transition into the team we all want to be."

Rangnick recently replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the helm at Old Trafford, with the former RB Leipzig boss taking the reins until the end of the season.

Howe says his German counterpart is a "pioneer" of the game, and someone he has "a lot of respect" for.

"I know he's had a huge influence on some Premier League managers who are currently active and successful in the league, and he's one of the culture change managers, really, who has brought in a lot of new ideas that a lot of people have followed," he said.

"He's a definite pioneer of the game. He's someone I've had a couple of conversations with over the years, and someone I highly respect and admire.

"I think with anyone who has his reputation in the game and some of the things that he's achieved at different clubs, it shows that his methodology works wherever he goes, so I've got no doubt he will make very instant changes to Manchester United.

"He'll bring in his own way of playing – I've already seen that in the two games they've had – and they've started to mirror him and his personality, so we expect a very tough game. I've got a lot of respect for Ralf and his work."

Howe, meanwhile, will be without the services of Northern Ireland international Jamal Lewis, who suffered a hamstring injury during last week's defeat at Liverpool.

The full back is likely to miss the rest of United’s fixtures in 2021, with a January return looking the most likely scenario for the former Norwich City man.

"I don't think it will be too long. It's not a major injury, but I think it will be enough to keep him out of the festive period and some games into early January," revealed Howe.

"Usually with a hamstring strain you're looking at minimum of three to four weeks, and that's probably where he'll be."

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