KIERAN Trippier's move into Newcastle United's midfield at Gateshead was a short-term fix rather than an experiment ahead of the coming Premier League season.

Trippier started on the right of a midfield three at the Gateshead International Stadium, but that, says Howe, was a result of the head coach needing to be "creative" with his team selection due to a lack of senior options available.

Newcastle's international players were watching from the stands having been given an extended summer break. The likes of Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes had trained on Saturday morning before watching their teammates fight back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 against their National League hosts.

With so many players unavailable, Howe named two right-backs and two left-backs in his starting XI, with Javier Manquillo and Matt Targett playing at full-back and Trippier and Jamal Lewis more advanced.

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Newcastle are in the market for cover at right-back this summer, with Southampton's Tino Livramento a target, but Howe has no plans to shift Trippier out of his regular position.

"I think it was a case of me putting out a team that we felt could be competitive," said Howe, explaining his team selection at Gateshead.

"We had two right backs, two left backs, I wanted to put all the professionals together in a team so I had to be creative.

"I had to be creative again at half-time to change it around again to try and find a better balance to the team."

Newcastle trailed 2-0 at the break and although it was a friendly, Howe made his feelings known at the interval.

He said: "I wasn't happy at half-time. There's an understanding that they're tired but you're a professional footballer, you're always tired to a degree. You have to push and want more. The attitude was much better in the second period."

Newcastle remain interested in Livramento, as well as pushing to sign Leicester City's Harvey Barnes but Howe said on Saturday that "nothing is close".