There was some good news for Newcastle United trio Eddie Howe, Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes on Thursday.

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has been shortlisted for the Premier League manager of the month award for April - just days after paying tribute to assistant Jason Tindall for stepping up during his recent illness.

The Magpies manager returned to the dugout at St James Park after a bout of pneumonia and watched on as his side eased to a 3-0 win against Ipswich Town. The victory against the Tractor Boys came after Howe spent a period away from the club as he battled illness and Tindall and coach Graeme Jones were on hand to oversee the 4-1 defeat of Manchester United and the 5-0 hammering of Crystal Palace before their temporary spell came to a close with a loss at Aston Villa.

Those results followed a fine start to the month as a stunning Sandro Tonali goal helped the Magpies to a 2-1 win against Brentford before Jacob Murphy hit form in a 3-0 victory at a Leicester City side that have since been condemned to relegation into the Championship. Those results have put Howe into contention for the manager of the month award and he faces competition from Villa's Unai Emery, Manchester City's Pep Guardiola, Vítor Pereira of Wolves and Arne Slot of newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool.

What has Eddie Howe said about Jason Tindall?

Speaking ahead of the home win against Ipswich last weekend, Howe said of Tindall’s impact: “I made a conscious decision, when I felt I didn't feel well enough to focus on the football, to give Jason and all the coaches the full responsibility. For me, you're either all in or all out, and I couldn't contribute, so I said to Jason right at the start. It's over to you and and didn't he do well? I thought he was absolutely brilliant with Graeme, Simon and Stephen and all the coaches and the players. I thought they were absolutely magnificent.

“I was able to watch all of the games. For the first two, I wasn't really there mentally, but I was really proud and so lifted by the performance or performances. That's of course a very similar experience to the one I had against Brentford in my very first game, not one that I particularly enjoyed, but yeah a big thank you to everybody for what they did.”

Magpies supporters can vote for Howe to claim his latest manager of the month award via the Premier League website here.

Are any Newcastle United players up for Premier League awards?

Yes, wing duo Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes have been nominated for the Premier League's EA Sports Player of the Month award for April. Murphy enjoyed a stellar month with six goal contributions in as many games during the month as he took his seasonal tally to nine goals and 14 assists in 37 appearances in all competitions. Former Leicester City winger Barnes kicked off April by setting up Sandro Tonali to grab the winner in a home victory against Brentford before finding the net against his old club at the King Power Stadium. Barnes then hit a brace in the home win against Manchester United and was in target in the 5-0 win against Crystal Palace before providing an assist in the defeat against Aston Villa.

Also nominated for the player of the month are Wolverhampton Wanderers pair Rayan Aït-Nouri and Jørgen Strand Larsen, Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool, Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers and Ryan Sessegnon of Fulham. Votes can be submitted here.

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