EDDIE Howe believes greater squad depth will significantly aid Newcastle United in the coming weeks after the return of some key players bolstered the head coach's options.

Howe has been down to the bare bones in recent months and in several games has been forced to name a bench including more than one goalkeeper and several untried youngsters.

But the picture is now looking brighter for Howe and he was able to turn to his bench and introduce game-changers in the midweek FA Cup victory at Blackburn Rovers.

Elliot Anderson returned after a long lay-off and scored in the shoot-out and Joe Willock's availability allowed Howe to give Lewis Miley a much-needed breather.

Alexander Isak is also now fit again, Harvey Barnes recently returned to action and Matt Targett is close to being in contention for a return to the matchday squad after more than three months out with a hamstring injury.

Howe's hand has been forced for much of this season but he will have the opportunity to tinker and - he hopes - change games from the bench in the weeks ahead, as Newcastle look to go on a winning run in the Premier League and prepare for their FA Cup quarter-final tie at Manchester City.

"That's not lost on me, it's never been lost on me," said Newcastle's head coach.

"You need the tools to win games. Elliot was a late decision (at Blackburn) and if we needed to use him we could use him but I didn't want to use him for more than 10 minutes.

"Even having him available, I was always going to trust him with a penalty. Who knows the importance of having him available and that just runs through the squad.

"I was able to take Joe Willock off early because I had quality players to bring on and to look after him and Alex is crucial because we need them both to stay fit. T

"They're both getting their fitness and sharpness in games which isn't ideal, but that's where we've been all season."

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Newcastle return to Premier League action this weekend against Wolves, who booked their place in the FA Cup last eight with a win over Brighton but that victory came at a cost, with Hwang Hee-Chan suffering a hamstring injury that is likely to rule him out of the game at St James' Park.

Mario Lemina also got a knock but is expected to be fit for Saturday.

Manager Gary O'Neil said: "Mario is fine, his was a kick. We're hopeful that will settle down in a couple of days. When I said to him, 'how are you', he said he'll be there on Saturday. He's fine.

"Changy's one is disappointing. In my opinion, this game is so big that it should be played on Saturday at three o'clock where you've had a week to prepare and you can play your strongest team without concerns.

"We managed to rotate a few but wanted to take the game seriously, we wanted to win the game. Unfortunately, Changy didn't get through it. He felt something in his hamstring – small, nothing like Pedro Neto's or Matheus Cunha's. He's had a tough spell while he was away, he wasn't fit for much of the camp with South Korea. He missed a big block of training and hasn't been as sharp as before."