The report says Dan Burn, Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Elanga, Yoane Wissa, Nick Woltemade and Malick Thiaw are Newcastle’s tournament absentees.
By comparison, Manchester City could lose 19 players, while Arsenal are expected to be without 15 and Manchester United 13. Liverpool may lose 10, leaving Newcastle with a theoretical availability advantage over a dozen Premier League rivals.
Players including Lewis Hall, Sven Botman, Fabian Schar, Sandro Tonali, Joelinton, Jacob Ramsey, Harvey Barnes, Joe Willock, Jacob Murphy, Nick Pope, Will Osula and Ewen Jaouen are expected to be available from the start. Howe is also monitoring the fitness of Tino Livramento and Lewis Miley.
Newcastle’s advantage will not last indefinitely. Howe has indicated that players involved in the tournament could receive around three weeks off after their teams are eliminated.
If a Newcastle player reaches the final on 19 July, a return on 10 August would leave fewer than two weeks before the Liverpool fixture. The gap is therefore most valuable during the opening phase of preparation, rather than on matchday itself.
Newcastle are due to train at their Knox base before travelling to La Manga, and Howe has stressed the importance of completing signings early. Last summer’s late arrivals reportedly forced new players to adapt while competitive matches were already under way.
A near-complete squad, plus timely recruitment, would give Howe more tactical continuity. The key storyline will be whether Newcastle convert that early availability into a stronger launch against Liverpool.