Newcastle £40m signing questioned as pundit insists money could have been spent elsewhere

Former Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given has questioned the signing of Tino Livramento as the pundit thinks the money could have been spent elsewhere.

Eddie Howe’s side have had a solid start to the new season, collecting 17 points in their first 10 matches. As things stand, they are projected to finish the campaign with 65 points which would have seen them finish 6th last season.

Newcastle have proven themselves good enough to go toe to toe with anyone in the league, but their current injury crisis has hampered them of late.

Alexander Isak limped off with an injury in Newcastle’s Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund and he has joined the likes of  Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy and Sven Botman on the treatment table.

Along with a number of injuries to contend with, Howe is now unable to call upon Sandro Tonali for the foreseeable future due to suspension.

Newcastle face a hectic upcoming fixture list as they have games in the Carabao Cup, Premier League and Champions League to deal with in the coming days.

Howe often likes to keep Callum Wilson as fresh as possible as he often rests the forward for their midweek matches. However, with Isak currently sidelined, Howe might not be left with much choice.

“I think that’s the reason they qualified for the Champions League in the first place, the fact that they’ve got two options so every week Eddie Howe can keep them fresh,” Given told Sky Sports.

“But now he does have a problem with Isak injured because he won’t have that option of keeping Wilson fresh every week – will he play at Old Trafford on Wednesday night?

“The games are coming quick and fast and they’re mounting up, especially remembering Wilson’s injury history. That’ll be the part that Eddie will be thinking about, maybe wrap him up in some cotton wool before the match!”

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Given questions Livramento signing

The injury to Isak has come at a bad time for Newcastle as their next three matches against Man Utd, Arsenal and Dortmund all look tough on paper.

Newcastle splashed £32million on Livramento from Southampton this summer, with a further £8m to come in add-ons.

The full-back has only played 46 minutes of Premier League football this season and Given has questioned if the money spent on Livramento could have gone elsewhere.

“My question is on the amount of full-backs they have, they bought in Livramento over the summer – is Eddie Howe now questioning that decision, is he wishing he’d bought in a striker instead to help with that depth?” Given added.

“I think they’re planning for the future but Eddie will want those players now.”

Newcastle are still in a strong position to make something of this season, but they must strengthen their squad in January to keep themselves competitive.

READ MORE: Eddie Howe in dreamland with quality Newcastle target desperate to join and replace Sandro Tonali