Jamie O’Hara believes Eddie Howe can see Newcastle finish above Manchester United next year as the Toon boss has his ‘magic’ back after reviving their season, he told talkSPORT.
Howe oversaw his 14th Premier League game as the Magpies’ manager on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Brighton. The result stretched the St James’ Park side’s unbeaten run to eight games, and lifted the club up to 14th in the table with a seven-point gap to the drop zone.
Newcastle only won their first game of the campaign on December 4 against Burnley after sacking Steve Bruce in October. The Toon sought a change in leader following their Saudi-backed takeover, plus five defeats to three draws in eight fixtures under Bruce this term.
Howe needed time to get Newcastle’s squad playing to his song and the January window to make some signings. They spent £35m on Bruno Guimaraes, £25m on Chris Wood, £13m on Dan Burn, £12m on Kieran Trippier and also loaned Matt Targett from Aston Villa.
All the aspects are now starting to come together, with only Liverpool (22) and Manchester City (19) taking more points than Newcastle (17) since New Year’s Day. The title-chasing Reds and Citizens have also both played one game more than the Magpies in 2022 so far.
O’Hara feels ‘magic’ Howe can see Newcastle finish above Man Utd next year
Manchester United have taken the fourth-most points in 2022 with 16, but the Red Devils have played 10 games. Newcastle have achieved their 17-point haul over seven games, and are currently the only side other than Liverpool to go unbeaten since the turn of the year.
O’Hara feels Newcastle’s results show Howe has got his ‘magic’ back and feels the Toon could target finishing above Manchester United next season, should they continue to invest in the summer and the Old Trafford outfit do not make big changes under their next coach.
“You look at Newcastle now, with the way they’re playing, the money they’ve spent and they’re going to spend in the summer, and they’ve got a manager in Eddie Howe who, all of a sudden, has got his magic touch back,” O’Hara said.
“I look at Newcastle and think if they continue the way they’re going and they invest £300/400m on players in the summer, they can finish above Manchester United. The mentality at Manchester United is just nowhere near to where it used to be.”
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