KIERAN TRIPPIER admits Newcastle United “have to be brave” as they look to get their season back on track in the wake of the international break.

The Magpies will return to action sitting in 14th position when the Premier League programme resumes in the middle of next month after a disappointing start to the campaign.

Since thrashing Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the season, Eddie Howe’s side have suffered successive defeats against Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton, with the most recent of those reverses, at the Amex Stadium, coming courtesy of an especially below-par display.

Newcastle’s next two league matches – at home to Brentford and away at Sheffield United – offer an opportunity to start putting things right, and sandwich the small matter of a trip to the San Siro to face AC Milan in the opening round of Champions League games.

Trippier insists there is no need to panic, but admits he and his team-mates have to rediscover the kind of front-foot, swashbuckling approach that enabled them to enjoy considerable success last season.

“The reality of the Premier League is that it is relentless,” said the Magpies’ matchday skipper. “Every team you play is difficult – you have got to be brave.

“We are in the Champions League now, we have got to be brave. We have a top team, but it is time to reset, go on the international break and come back refreshed.

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“There is no panic from our side. We have played four top teams, in every single game we have been in the game, but you have to be clinical. We will look at ourselves and move on.”

Trippier has already turned his attention to international affairs, with England facing a double-header that features a European Championships qualifier against Ukraine this evening and a friendly against Scotland at Hampden Park next Tuesday.

The full-back is competing with Kyle Walker and Trent Alexander-Arnold for a place in Gareth Southgate’s starting side, and has already drawn a line under Saturday’s defeat on the south coast.

Newcastle started reasonably brightly at the Amex, with Alexander Isak missing a couple of decent early opportunities, but were undone by Evan Ferguson’s hat-trick, which preceded a late consolation from Callum Wilson.

“I thought in the first five minutes, we could have been two nil up, but that is the difference in taking your opportunities,” said Trippier. “At three nil down, we kept our heads down stuck together and kept going. We have to use the defeat as positively as we can. We have the break to reset, and we know we have some big games coming up.”

Trippier and Wilson have both been named in the England squad to face Ukraine and Scotland, but there is no Nick Pope, with Southgate having selected Aaron Ramsdale and Sam Johnstone as deputies for first-choice goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Whitley Bay-born Elliot Anderson has been selected in the Scotland squad, and could find himself lining up against England next week.

Fabian Schar suffered a knock against Brighton and appeared to be struggling in the closing stages of the game at the Amex, but the centre-half is due to join up with the Switzerland squad ahead of Euro qualifiers against Kosovo and Andorra, suggesting his problem is not too severe.

Sven Botman missed the Brighton defeat through injury, but should be available to return against Brentford on September 16.

Newcastle’s Under-21s side are in action tomorrow evening as they kick off their EFL Trophy campaign at Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground.

Teenage midfielder Jamie Miley, who made his Newcastle first-team bow in this summer’s friendly win at Gateshead and also featured in the Summer Series game against Brighton, is looking forward to facing last season’s National League champions, owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, and is hoping to improve on a number of disappointing recent displays in the EFL Trophy.

“Looking at previous years, we haven’t done as well as we’d like to in the EFL Trophy,” said 19-year-old Miley. “Hopefully, we can get off to a good start to give us that head-start to try to qualify from the group.

“The whole experience, playing at their stadium in front of fans against a senior team, means that little bit more compared to when you play at Under-21 level. You just want to try to do as well as possible because playing senior football is where you want to be.”