'Difficult' - How Newcastle United's owners have reacted to the season so far amid Eddie Howe rumour

Eddie Howe feels the full support of Newcastle United's owners in what he admits has been a difficult campaign.

After guiding the Magpies to a top four finish and the Carabao Cup final last season, Howe has endured a far more tougher term to date with his side currently sitting 10th in the Premier League table as well as exiting the Champions League at the group stage and League Cup at the quarter-final stage in December.

United have reached the last eight of the FA Cup but face the impossible task of getting past last year's triple winners Manchester City in order to seal a Wembley semi-final. The Newcastle of last season wouldn't have been written off, however the league form of 11 points in 12 games isn't inspiring much confidence.

With expectations rising on Tyneside as a result of the PIF-led takeover, there have been tentative links surrounding Howe's future, however the former AFC Bournemouth boss believes there is an understanding from above about the challenge he and his team have faced in 2023-24, not least the bad luck with injuries.

"It's difficult for me to speak for them ]the owners] but I have felt a support and an understanding for the season that we have had and things that have been thrown at us and things that have happened," said Howe.

"That's really important from my side that I do feel that support. I'm not going to try and put words in people's mouths or anything like that, but I think they have seen from afar how difficult this season has been."

Questions to Howe about his future came less than 24 hours after German newspaper BILD claimed Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann, formerly of Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, was being lined up as a potential replacement this summer.

“Genuinely it doesn’t affect me," Howe responded to the links. "I’m here. I’m sat in the seat.My future will be defined by what I do, no one else.

“It’s up to me to continually prove. I back myself and my ability. I know my qualities. I know what I bring to the job and I have ambitions for the team and the club and I can’t control what people write and what speculation there is in every sense. I don’t try to get involved in it.”