Jason Tindall says there is "no exact timeframe" for Eddie Howe to return to the Newcastle United dugout as he recovers from pneumonia.

Assistant manager Tindall oversaw Newcastle's 4-1 win over Manchester United on Sunday after Howe was admitted to hospital two days earlier.

Newcastle have already confirmed Howe will also be absent for Wednesday's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace and Sunday's trip to Aston Villa.

Tindall is unsure exactly when Howe will be ready to return to work, and he is prepared to continue taking charge for as long as that may be.

"He's in the best possible hands and he'll be back as soon as he feels he's ready to come back 100% to lead the team," Tindall told reporters.

"There is no exact timeframe. That is something we will assess day by day. 

"He will only come back when he is ready to come back and it will be on the guidance of the people taking care of him."

Newcastle are fourth in the table after winning four in a row, with that run following directly on the back of victory over Liverpool in the EFL Cup final.

Midweek opponents Palace are in 12th place, meanwhile, after seeing their five-game unbeaten run ended by Manchester City last weekend.

Palace still have an outside chance of qualifying for Europe, but Oliver Glasner is only taking it one game at a time.

"I'll talk about it when we achieve it," he said. "There's nothing to talk about now. 

"We have Brighton, Fulham and Bournemouth in front, and we have the same amount of points as Brentford, who are playing a very good season.

"We also see huge teams behind us in Man United and Tottenham Hotspur. It makes no sense to think about the table now. 

"We have Newcastle, then Bournemouth and Arsenal coming up. Again, it's good to be in this fight for these positions."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Newcastle - Harvey Barnes

Barnes has started Newcastle's past three matches and contributed to a goal in each of those, including two of his own against Man United.

Going further back, Barnes now has nine goal involvements in his past 11 Premier League starts in what has been his best run for the club.

Palace - Eberechi Eze

Eze opened the scoring against Man City in a game Palace went on to lead 2-0 before losing 5-2, continuing his impressive run of form.

The England international has had a hand in eight goals in his past 11 league starts, scoring two of his own and assisting six more.

MATCH PREDICTION: NEWCASTLE WIN

Palace drew 1-1 with Newcastle in November's reverse match at Selhurst Park, leaving them with just one win in seven in this league fixture.

Glasner's side have scored in each of their past 13 Premier League games – only twice in their top-flight history have they scored in 14 in a row.

However, Newcastle have won 18 of their 23 matches in all competitions since 14 December, which is the most of any Premier League side in that period.

The 53 goals they have scored in that run are behind only Liverpool (61) and Manchester City (58).

United have also lost just one of their past 12 midweek home league games, with that loss coming against Nottingham Forest in December 2023.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Newcastle - 54.1%

Draw - 23.1%

Palace - 22.8%