Newcastle United Football Club head coach Eddie Howe is holding on to hope for positive news regarding the whereabouts of Ghanaian winger Christian Atsu.
Former Newcastle United player Atsu, has been missing since scoring a 97th minute winner for Hatayspor in a 1-0 win Turkish Super League win over Kasimpasa this past weekend.
However, mere hours after grabbing his debut goal, Atsu was reported as one of several thousands of people in Turkey and Syria caught under rubble from earthquakes that hit the countries on Monday, February 6.
“We hope for some good news, we hope he’s OK,but we’re really concerned for him and his welfare this week. It’s been difficult because there have been conflicting stories coming out about his whereabouts, so it’s been very tough. I can’t imagine how his family are feeling” Howe said in an interview ahead of Newcastle’s league game against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday, February 11 at 17:30 GMT.
“But from the bottom of our hearts, we wish him well and hope there’s a positive ending” he added.
31 year old Atsu was on the books of Newcastle for five seasons including a one year loan spell before joining Saudi Arabia side Al-Raed.
Howe and Atsu spent time together during their time at AFC Bournemouth and Howe described their time together saying “Really enjoyed working with Christian. Great lad, great player,”