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Manquillo: "We have no fear"

Written by Dan King

Javier Manquillo insists that Newcastle United travel to Manchester United with "no fear" on Boxing Day, with the two sides level on points and separated by just one place in the Premier League table.

The Magpies beat the Red Devils 1-0 at St. James' Park thanks to Matty Longstaff's goal back in October and while Old Trafford has rarely been a happy hunting ground for Newcastle, Manquillo says he and his team mates will go into Thursday's game in a positive frame of mind.

"It's the sort of game and the sort of stadium that every one of us wants to play in," said the Spanish defender. "It'll be down to the manager to see who he thinks is in the best form and really ready for that occasion, but certainly it's one that we're all looking forward to.

"They did have the defeat (to bottom-of-the-table Watford) recently but that, in a way, spurs them on to try and make their supporters happy on Boxing Day.

"But certainly, we have no fear going to places like that. We believe that we can take points from any ground where we go to play an away game. It's not fear - it's just a case of going there determined and going with the right attitude, a determined attitude, to get something from the game."

Manquillo has started each of Newcastle's last five games, with the Magpies winning three of them and drawing against current champions Manchester City.

In Saturday's 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace, Manquillo earned plaudits for his performance against Eagles star Wilfried Zaha and he said: "Zaha is a good player, a top player.

"We knew that he could cause us problems so the fact that we managed to, as a unit - and I wouldn't just single out myself for that, I think we were all aware of the potential danger of someone like Zaha - keep him quiet and keep a lid on him, if you like, I think that was very good and pays testimony to the work of the whole group."

At Old Trafford, he could be up against Anthony Martial or Marcus Rashford, but Manquillo admitted: "I think one of the things you enjoy most in the game is playing with and against the best players. That's something that you always enjoy."

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