Eddie Howe delivers positive Fabian Schar news despite Newcastle United friendly defeat

Eddie Howe has delivered positive news on Swiss international Fabian Schar after he came off injured against Mainz 05. The defender was replaced after 57 minutes just before he was due to be substituted as part of a routine batch of changes.

Schar was replaced by Dan Burn but will be fine for the tour of Portugal next week. After the game Howe said: “I think he’s OK,” Howe told reporters at the Kufstein Arena. “When he came off the pitch he said it felt more like a cramp feeling rather than a pull.

“Fingers crossed he’s alright.”

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And reflecting on the game overall, Howe said: “I thought it was a better performance today than it was in our first game here. It is the end of a long week, the lads have done a lot of training.

"I was pleased with certain aspects today, obviously we needed to improve around their goal. Our creativity wasn’t quite there. When you watch pre-season games back, you have to have a critical eye while acknowledging where the lads are at.“