Pep Guardiola’s decision to stay with Manchester City “keeps the Premier League the best in the world,” says Newcastle manager Eddie Howe.

Guardiola ended the speculation over his future on Thursday by agreeing a new two-year stay with the Champions.

Newcastle face West Ham on Monday night and Howe is delighted to see Guardiola remain in action.

“I was delighted to see that,” Howe said. “On a serious note, I think he’s contributed so much to English football.

The journey continues 🩵 pic.twitter.com/8aluupvQw9

— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 21, 2024

“I think he’s revolutionised how a lot of teams play. I think he’s incredibly talented and I think it’s good for the English game that he’s still here.

“He will continue to develop and evolve his style and people will potentially continue to follow that. From the competition side, I think it keeps the Premier League as the best game in the world.”

United having an extra two days’ rest from the international break could help several of Howe’s absentees make a return as Newcastle look to push on up the table.

“There’s two sides to that coin because you’ve got the international players who benefit from the longer gap, especially players like Bruno (Guimaraes) and Miggy (Almiron) who have had long flights, they’ve played games, so they will benefit from it,” Howe said.

“The players that have remained with us are probably itching to play and probably need to play quite quickly.”

Team news

Howe said that striker Callum Wilson is “doing well” but “has to get through the next few days in training” before a decision is made about the striker’s availability.

Full-backKieran Trippier”is slightly closer than Callum” but the Magpies will be careful not to rush him in his final few days of rehab.

Fellow defender Emil Krafth is “going to be out for six to eight weeks” after undergoing surgery.