Eddie Howe reveals why he's had 'minimal contact' at Newcastle United with Amanda Staveley

Howe was appointed as the relegation-threatened club’s new head coach last week following last month’s departure of Steve Bruce after a winless start to the season.

The 43-year-old, tasked with keeping the club in the Premier League, quickly got to work on the training pitch.

And co-owner Staveley allowed Howe to focus on this afternoon’s home game against Brentford.

Speaking before he tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday, Howe said: “I think Amanda has left me to work this week, so I’ve had minimal contact with anybody connected with the board and the ownership, which, when you’re preparing for a game as important as this, and the schedule we have coming up, is great from my perspective, as it allows me to really to focus on the important parts of training and my dealings with the players.

"I think I’m due to see her later today, so I think that relationship with the people above me is so important, as I think there are certain things we need to implement, and to help the players with, so … looking forward to those interactions.

"Everyone’s trying to help the team.

"That’s the big focus here in the short term, to try and get more out of the players we have.”

Howe – who took a year out of the game after leaving Bournemouth last year – has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at the club, which is 19th in the Premier League with five points from 11 games.

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