Eddie Howe hails Newcastle United player after 'outstanding' performance

Howe labelled Targett’s first appearance as “outstanding” after last night’s 3-1 home win over Everton. The result lifted the club out the relegation zone for the first time since October 2. Targett signed on loan from Aston Villa last week, had set the tone with a series of early challenges – and quickly settled into the back four.

"Outstanding,” said Howe. “He’s a very level-headed and calm person – he defended really, really well.

United’s head coach added: "Matt, I thought, was excellent. Very, very strong performance. The biggest compliment I can pay him is that it looked like he’d been part of that back four for a number of years. I thought his positioning was very good, his use of the ball was good. Very pleased him with.”

Targett tweeted: “What a game full of fight and desire. The atmosphere was amazing tonight. Thank you for the warm welcome.”

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