The big Newcastle United hint that will excite fans

That’s quite an achievement for a team which hadn’t won any of its 14 games. Also, fourth-placed Tottenham played two more Premier League games than Newcastle in 2022.

So the club’s form in the second half of the season is bettered only by the division’s two outstanding teams, Manchester City and Liverpool.

Maintaining that kind of form over a 38-game season, of course, is another matter, though the club is as short as 7/1 with some bookmakers for a top-four finish next term.

The club, which qualified for European football once during Mike Ashley’s time as owner, ended the 2021/22 season in 11th place with 49 points, two points behind 10th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers, following yesterday’s 2-1 win over Burnley.

Howe was asked in the Turf Moor press room when planning started for next season.

“I just joked with someone that the planning starts on the coach back,” said Howe. “I had a rethink, and said ‘that can wait until tomorrow!’.

“It starts straight away. You have to, the Premier League moves so quickly, and the competition’s so strong, that you have to try and be ahead of the game. We’ll try and be sensible about what we do this summer. It’s a big time for us.”

Howe, understandably, is keen to manage, but not dampen, expectations on Tyneside.

United’s head coach won’t publicly set out his “targets” for next season, though Joelinton, the club’s player of the season, dropped a big hint in a recent interview.

"I think we have to fight for the Europa League next season,” said the midfielder, who was forced off against Burnley after suffering a deep cut on his foot. "We’ve shown this season how strong a team we can be with winning six in a row. If we can do that regularly, we can fight for the Europa League.”

Howe addressed Joelinton’s comments ahead of the Burnley game.

“Joe’s a good guy, he’s positive and optimistic,” said Howe. “And I think we should be. I have no issue with that, and I want my squad to be confident and ambitious.

“They have to believe in big things, and we have to set targets internally. I would rather these things stay internal than external, because we have to also manage expectations.

“We don’t want to play under an unnecessary burden, or unnecessary pressure, that hampers our performance. I would prefer to keep things in-house.”

While Howe won’t say it, a challenge for European football, surely, has to be the aim for next season.

The club’s owners, eventually, want Champions League football to return to St James’s Park, and a push for a top-seven place isn’t unrealistic.

Much will depend on the business done this summer, and the club’s recruitment team already have lists of potential targets drawn up.

"We have an unbelievable spirit and mentality about the group, and I definitely don’t want to break that,” said Howe. “That's my biggest challenge – to harness and keep all the good aspects of the second half of the season, as well as evolving and improving, with new additions."

The big question is just how quickly the team can evolve and improve with the funding available this summer.