Tino Livramento has emerged as a superstar-in-waiting for Newcastle United in recent weeks and has clearly caught the eye of Gareth Southgate in the process.

The United full-back was nothing short of exceptional in the Carabao Cup wins over Manchester City and Manchester United and was a standout performer in the Borussia Dortmund defeat last week. However, Livramento must again settle for a place in the England under-21 setup, rather than the senior side, for upcoming clashes with Serbia and Northern Ireland.

That isn't to say Southgate isn't keeping a close eye on the 21-year-old's progress at St James' Park, name-checking the youngster when quizzed over his vast array of full-back options at present. "There is [depth], I was hoping to call up Reece James but he doesn't feel he's quite ready," Southgate said.

"I understand that, he's had a long path back from a number of injuries. He's probably a bit cautious in that respect, but I can understand why. We have got options, but there aren't perhaps the experienced options we might have in other areas of the pitch.

"Some of the younger full-backs are doing well. Tino Livramento has done well in his games for Newcastle, but being with the U21s is the right thing for him at the moment as well."

Livramento has been thrust into the spotlight at Newcastle after injuries to Dan Burn and Matt Targett. With the aforementioned duo both facing long spells on the sidelines, the summer signing is expected to receive more minutes at either full-back position.

Livramento also featured at right-wing for a period against Borussia Dortmund in midweek but Howe seems to believe he is better suited to a defensive role. "Tino has played in that role before," he said.

"That's how he started at Chelsea and was his position before moving back to right-back. I thought he did OK in the first half but probably performed better in his normal full back role."