In an interview, Hopkinson stopped short of guaranteeing that the 48-year-old Englishman would still be the first-team manager after the conclusion of the 2025/26 campaign.
European dream fading
It seems that the derby defeat to Sunderland has brought Howe's future into sharp focus, given that the win for the Black Cats saw them leapfrog their local rivals, and has left Newcastle's European hopes hanging by a thread.
With seven games left to play, against Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Arsenal, Brighton, Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Fulham, the Magpies remain 12 points outside Champions League qualification, seven points away from the Europa League, and six points from qualifying for the Conference League.
Arguably, things haven't really gone well for Newcastle since the somewhat forced sale of Alexander Isak to Liverpool, a deal that Hopkinson believes was "a good sale," incidentally.
The prospect of no European football next season has inevitably led to rumours that a handful of the club's senior players will look to move to pastures new at the end of the current campaign.
Tonali and Guimaraes to lead Newcastle exodus?
Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes have long been linked with other potential suitors, and if Howe is also to be relieved of his duties, for the club to then lose their captain as well as their most creative player, it could be the bitterest pill for the Geordie faithful to swallow.
Their pain is unlikely to be eased with the news that Tino Livramento hasn't yet committed to putting pen to paper on a new deal at St. James' Park, with the 23-year-old full-back now apparently the subject of intense interest from both Arsenal and Man City.
Though his contract runs until 2028 and Newcastle therefore have no immediate need to sell, if they're unable to qualify for Europe, as seems likely at this point, the club may be forced to reassess their options.
Livramento himself has remained tight-lipped, and depending on which side of the fence you sit, that could mean he simply doesn't want to add fuel to the fire or his silence is doing the talking for him.
How would Tino Livramento complement Arsenal or Man City?
Were either the Gunners or the Cityzens able to acquire the player, what would they be getting for their money?
From an injury perspective, he's already been out for 94 days in the current campaign, thanks to two separate knee injuries and a hamstring problem, which has restricted him to 15 Premier League appearances in 25/26.
Ankle issues in the past no longer seem a concern for a player who is clearly enjoying his time on the international stage, too.
One goal and three assists in 104 games in all competitions could do with an improvement, given the marauding nature of his natural game, though arguably he wouldn't be being signed for his goalscoring prowess.
A pass accuracy of 87.1% across the time he's been at the club is only bettered by Sven Botman (who has made 384 fewer total passes) and Lewis Miley (1,168 fewer total passes), and is the same completion rate as both Anthony Gordon and Kieran Trippier.
Taking forward passes only into account, Livramento comes into his own with 83.5% accuracy. That's better than every squad member other than Miley, Jacob Ramsey and Matt Targett, all three of whom have made significantly fewer than the former Southampton man's 1,137.
139 crosses attempted, and 65 chances created, also offer a glimpse into the mentality of a player who likes to get up the pitch as often as possible.
Given his primary focus is on defending, a return of 68 interceptions, 114 headed clearances and 222 other clearances, not to mention 87 tackles won from 135 attempted, for a success rate of 64.4% - one of the best in the squad - is more than acceptable.
No errors leading to goals
445 ball recoveries have only been bettered by Guimaraes, Tonali, Nick Pope and Joelinton, whilst 645 one-on-ones contested keep him in the squad's top 10 for this metric.
Perhaps just as importantly, is that in the time he's been in the North East, Livramento hasn't made a single error that's led to a goal for the opposition.
Just 22 fouls conceded, and five yellow cards received are among the lowest returns in the squad, suggesting that, in the main, the player's timing is on point too.
An improvement in all aspects should Livramento join either Arsenal or City is to be expected, with the greatest respect to the Magpies, and if either is able to secure him for less than market value - because of Newcastle's predicament - then it'll be a win-win scenario.
