Explained: Reason why Dan Burn and Jacob Murphy was ruled out for Carabao Cup win against Bradford City at St James’ Park.

Newcastle United rang the changes for their Carabao Cup clash with Bradford City at St James’ Park, making seven alterations to the starting XI.

Dan Burn was one of those left out entirely, with Nick Pope, Tino Livramento, Sandro Tonali, Joe Willock and Nick Woltemade all starting on the bench, while Burn and Jacob Murphy didn’t make the squad. The shake-up didn’t affect the result as Joelinton and William Osula each netted twice in a comfortable 4-1 victory over the League One leaders. That win secured a last-16 tie against Tottenham Hotspur at home next month.

Attention now turns to Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Arsenal (4:30pm kick-off), before Newcastle face Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League midweek. Eddie Howe hinted at further rotation as he manages a demanding schedule.

“We’re going to need the full squad this season,” Howe explained. “The schedule is relentless. That’s why, whenever I can rest players, I do. Hopefully they come back fresh and perform at their best. I think we saw that bounce from those who came back in tonight.”

Burn, who was rested on Wednesday, is expected to return against Arsenal. He watched on from the stands as Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman partnered in central defence. Fabian Schär, still sidelined with concussion, also missed out and won’t feature on Sunday.

Howe added that competition is fierce within the squad: “Everyone knows if they don’t play well, there’s someone ready to take their place.”

Although Burn wasn’t in the matchday squad, he was present at St James’ Park, watching from a corporate box. The defender shared photos on social media alongside Newcastle legends Tino Asprilla and Darren Peacock, captioning: “The lads taking us through to the next round of the cup. Had some special guests from back in the day last night.”