Newcastle United star reveals big impact Eddie Howe has made on his career

Newcastle United defender Fabian Schar has revealed the integral role Eddie Howe played in restoring his confidence last season.

The Swiss international made just two appearances during United’s opening nine games in all competitions as former manager Steve Bruce opted to partner the likes of Ciaran Clark, Isaac Hayden and Federico Fernandez with captain Jamaal Lascelles.

Bruce left his role at St James Park in mid-October and Schar was immediately handed a recall as Howe oversaw his first game in charge in a 3-3 draw against Brentford.

The former Deportivo La Coruna centre-back became a regular feature at the heart of the United defence and played a key role in helping the Magpies escape the relegation zone and secure a mid-table finish.

Reflecting on Howe’s impact, he said: “I’ve said this a lot of times. From day one, I’ve had confidence in the gaffer, which helps me a lot. Obviously, it was tough before (Howe’s arrival), but since they arrived, I felt confidence from them, 100%.

“I did my part as well, played my game and got back to my best. I concentrated on my game to perform the best possible, and tried to help the team. It’s what I try every game.”

Howe’s side have endured a mixed start to the new Premier League season.

An opening day St James Park win over Nottingham Forest remains their only victory six games into the new Premier League campaign.

But that statistic only tells half of the story, with impressive performances against title contenders Manchester City and Liverpool only returning one point between them.

Hard-earned draws against Brighton, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Crystal Palace have shown more of the solidity instilled by Howe during the second half of last season.

For Schar, the challenge now is continue improving throughout the remainder of the current campaign.

“For us, we want to continue the work from last year. We had a pretty good second half of the year, and we want to build on that.

“The last few years I’ve been here, most years we’ve had tough starts. We want to continue the work we did last year to get better.”