EDDIE HOWE shot down talk of leaving Newcastle to replace Ruben Amorim as Manchester United boss.
The Toon manager was linked with Chelsea before Liam Rosenior’s appointment and is now among the names being linked with the Old Trafford vacancy.
Howe’s £6m-a-year deal at Newcastle runs until 2029, ensuring the club would be entitled to a whopping eight-figure compensation fee should he go.
The 48-year-old, courted by England in 2024, admitted he has not always been happy since taking charge in November 2021.
But Howe insists he is going nowhere as he reiterated how happy he is working with new sporting director Ross Wilson after difficulties with predecessor Paul Mitchell.
Asked if anything could tempt him away from St. James’ Park at present, he said: “No, not at this current time. The most important thing for me is happiness in the role, happiness in the job, the relationships that 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’m very happy.
TRAFFORD-ABLE
Man Utd ticket and hotel deals for Premier League games from just £155pp
RUB THE WRONG WAY
Man Utd players unhappy with Amorim sacking as Fernandes leads thanks
“We’ve made some great appointments in the key roles that we needed to fill and as long as I can express myself in the best way possible and I’m in the best version of myself to help the players and the club, because ultimately for any club to be successful there has to be unity from top to bottom. There has to be a good feeling between everybody.
“I’ve had an unbelievable relationship with the board here since I’ve come to the football club. That’s never changed and I consider myself very lucky to have that because there’s very few managers that have the time to build those relationships and have the confidence and trust within each other. That’s really important.
“If you have all of those things that I’ve got then you’ve got a higher chance of being successful. There’s no guarantee on anything but a better chance than if the relationships aren’t working so I’m very happy at the moment and hopefully that stays for a long time.”
Howe, the fourth-longest reigning Prem manager and now in his fourth season in charge, said he was committed to Newcastle when linked with United last year.
BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS
Asked directly if that was still 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.”
Amorim, axed after his explosive post-match press conference at Elland Road, constantly came under intense scrutiny from United legends on TV.
Howe agrees that it is harder than ever for today’s top-flight managers, but he is adamant he would never allow his opinion to swayed by anyone from the outside.
He said: “The climate for modern day managers is difficult. It is difficult because there’s a lot more media and there’s a lot more exposure to different opinions. My method is to bunker myself away from it and to ignore it and to make sure my brain and thoughts don’t get contaminated by stuff that’s absolutely irrelevant to me.
“It’s focusing on the game ultimately and the players. That what I try to do. So how can I make my players better? How can I have better relationships with them? How can I push them to better performances? How can I help the team? Where do we need to improve? Constant analysis of how we play. That for me will change or help change the next result hopefully in a positive way. Getting involved in politics and all the other stuff that’s around won’t help me or the team or the players.”
Asked whether he envisaged four more years at the helm, Howe added: “Four more games (laughs)! I don’t tend to do that. I didn’t do that from the minute I came in, really.
“When coming to the football club I hoped for a sustained opportunity to do the job and prove myself and to do the job I thought I could do, but the first task was to stay in the league and we knew that if we didn’t achieve that then there wouldn’t be a part two and that’s sort of how it works.
“You’ve got to keep hitting your objectives, you’ve got to keep hitting your targets, stage by stage. If you’re able to and enjoying it and people want you to stay then you stay and you enjoy what’s to come.
“Four more years? I don’t know. Let’s just try and navigate through this season first.”
Ruben Amorim SACKED
Ruben Amorim has been SACKED as manager of Manchester United!
The Portuguese boss has been involved in a war of words with the club hierarchy in recent days, hitting out at transfer policy and his postition as ‘coach’ rather than ‘manager’.
Now he is gone – with the likes of Gareth Southgate and Enzo Maresca among the favourites to take over at Old Trafford.
Man Utd currently sit sixth in the table but Amorim hardly set the world alight at the club.
In fact, he leaves with the WORST win rate in the Premier League of any permanent boss – just 31.9 per cent.
Here’s the top stories…
