Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has distanced himself from the managerial vacancy at Manchester United after being touted as a replacement for Ruben Amorim by Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt.
The 48-year-old, who was linked with the job at Old Trafford before Amorim was appointed 14 months ago and mentioned briefly in dispatches at the weekend after Chelsea dispensed with the services of Enzo Maresca, figured prominently in a list of potential replacements discussed by the two highly-respected former United midfielders on their podcast, The Good, the Bad and the Football.
However Howe, who was equally unequivocal when his name was thrown into the hat for the England manager’s job following Gareth Southgate’s departure, was swift to reiterate his ‘100 per cent’ commitment to the Magpies.
Asked if that remained the case, he said: ‘Yes, absolutely. Nothing has changed from my perspective.
‘I’m 100 per cent here, working as hard as I can, head down, ignoring all the stuff that you guys write good or bad because it’s irrelevant.
‘It’s about today’s work and trying to prepare the team as well as we can for Leeds, so that will never change from my perspective, my commitment to my work and my job.
‘As long as I’m happy and able to express myself in the best way that I can to help the team, nothing will change.’
Howe, who led Newcastle to a first major domestic trophy in 70 years last year, is in his fifth season at St James’ Park and signed a ‘long-term’ contract extension during the summer of 2022.
He did so after insisting during the summer of 2024, as the speculation over England rumbled on, that he was keen to stay where he was as long as he remained ‘happy’ and ‘supported’, an oblique reference to off-field tensions with sporting director Paul Mitchell, who has since left the club.
Asked if there was anything which could tempt him away from St James’, he replied: ‘No, not at this current time.
‘The most important thing for me is happiness in the role, happiness in the job, the relationships I have with the people around me. Now, that’s not always been consistently good and things can change at any football club.
‘But, at the moment, I am very happy.’
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Head coach Howe, whose side face Leeds in the Premier League on Wednesday evening, has found himself under a measure of pressure from disgruntled fans in recent weeks during a period of inconsistent form, and admitted he ignores the kind of outside noise which engulfed Amorim and Celtic counterpart Wilfried Nancy.
He said: ‘There is a lot more media and exposure to different opinions. My method is to bunker myself away from it and to ignore it and make sure my brain is not contaminated by stuff that is absolutely irrelevant to me. It is focusing on the game and ultimately the players.
‘Getting involved in politics and all the other stuff that’s around won’t help me, or the team, or the players.’
