Newcastle trip to Saudi Arabia 'for benefit of players' says manager Eddie Howe

Eddie Howe was appointed by the new owners, which included the firm that owns 10% of the club.

Eddie Howe said that the decision to go to Saudi Arabia was for the benefit of the players.

After the international break, United will play their next match in the Middle East on February 8.

Howe said the players are his only focus.

The club is 80% owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

There were questions about whether the takeover was an attempt to "wash" the country's human rights record.

Howe said he didn't know if he would meet the new chairman of the club, who is also the chair of PIF.

There will be no distraction from my side, it's about the training and the players and being focused on the next game. We are doing it in a different place.

The facilities are going to be first class, we will train hard and that will be my only focus.

One of the most controversial takeovers in the history of the Premier League was that of Newcastle, which came after an 18-month row with the league about state interference.

The takeover was approved after the league received legally binding assurances that Saudi Arabia would not control the club.

The chair of PIF has been questioned by human rights groups.

The training camp could turn into another PR opportunity for the Saudi authorities, according to the chief executive of Amnesty International UK.

He said that the players, manager and staff should speak out about human rights in Saudi Arabia.

Howe said the trip to Jeddah would be worth it because of the next game.

He said it was all manageable. We have to take everything into account, and I don't think the distances are too far. We have a big gap to our next game, but we are comfortable with players travelling.

Things will be tight in Covid. We will try and do some good work and come back with a united squad.