Howe to make late call on Saint-Maximin's fitness

United welcome the Seagulls to St. James' Park hoping to make it eight Premier League games without defeat and potentially make it five wins from six in the process.

French winger Saint-Maximin will train on Friday after missing Newcastle's last two outings through injury, with Howe prepared to give him every chance to prove his fitness ahead of the weekend.

But with his charges in a rich vein of form, he believes the "healthy" competition within his squad is contributing to the Magpies' terrific recent run which has seen them rise to 14th place in the table – four points above the relegation zone.

"I think when I first came into the job we wanted competition for places in all positions. I wouldn't say we're absolutely there yet, but there's a healthy competition within the squad – you can see that from my side when you're watching training," said Howe.

"People are elevating their levels, there is a fight to get in the team, and then when you're in the team you've got to fight to stay in it. I think Maxi coming back has given everyone a lift. Hopefully he gets through today, and then we'll make a decision."

A feature of Howe's team’s resurgence has been their fitness and endurance, with Newcastle’s physical output vastly improved since the turn of the year.

He said he was happy with Newcastle's application in adapting to his demands, and believes they are beginning to see the fruits of their labour as they climb the table.

"What I would say is they've delivered, in terms of our training, a very, very good response to high intensity sessions," he said. "We've tried to push them physically, which is quite difficult to do in the season – you have to get the balance right. But their response to those training sessions and what we've asked them has been really, really good.

"Athletically, I think the squad has done very well. In this run, for me the key feature of the team has been our physical output, our off-the-ball performance, our intensity out of possession, so all of those things have helped us stay in games and win games. I can't compliment the squad enough for what they've given me physically."

The Magpies are yet to record a Premier League win over the Seagulls, who finished runners up in the Championship when they were promoted alongside Rafa Benítez’s United in 2017.

And Howe admitted that Brighton – who currently sit tenth – have the ability to cause his side some problems on Tyneside, praising their eyecatching approach.

"I'd say they're very similar both home and away. They've got tactical flexibility which is probably their biggest strength – they play a number of different shapes, even within one game, so they're a difficult opponent to line up (against) and predict what they'll do," he said.

"They're a very good football team who want to control possession, and defensively have been good because they're not without the ball for too long. Full credit to Graham Potter, his team and his squad, because they've found a way of controlling most games and playing very good football at the same time."

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