‘Definitely’… Eddie Howe now thinks two Newcastle players have really improved as of late

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Newcastle United are finally getting players back from injury, but there is no guarantee that they will immediately get back to their best.

With Harvey Barnes closing in on a return, Toon fans will have to be patient with the 26-year-old. It might take him some time to get his sharpness back, having been out of action since September with a foot injury.

He is one of multiple Newcastle players who have had lengthy spells on the sidelines this season. Dan Burn and Sven Botman also suffered a similar fate, but are back now after their respective back and knee issues.

Both players are massively important to Newcastle, and are enjoying rich veins of form. The defensive giants were both excellent in away wins over Fulham and Aston Villa, as the Magpies look to get their season back on track.

Eddie Howe is delighted with Burn and Botman, and believes they are finally back to their best after their injuries.

Eddie Howe pleased with Dan Burn and Sven Botman’s improvement

Howe has spoke to the Northern Echo about Botman and Burn’s form in defence, as Newcastle begin to improve at the back.

“I definitely see an improvement in our defensive displays,” he said.

“The Fulham game was a big step forward in that respect, and then against Villa we had another big jump forward.

“When you consider we’ve had Dan Burn out for a long time and then coming straight back into the team, and the same with Sven, then it’s only natural that they took a bit of time to get back to their best rhythm.

“But now I think you’re seeing both players play very strongly. They’re such big players for us, and if you put them together with the way Fab and Kieran have performed in the last two games, then I think you’ve got a really strong back four.”

Newcastle need a settled back four

There has been a noticeable improvement in Botman and Burn’s form. They suddenly look a lot more comfortable at the back, even if a lot of fans would prefer to see Tino Livramento at left-back over Burn.

But the youngster will have to bide his time, as defensive solidity can be the platform for a strong second half of the campaign. We had that for the majority of last season, and that was because our back four was settled.

Hopefully that can remain the case now, with Eddie Howe delighted with how much better his side looks defensively.

We looked a lot more like ourselves against Aston Villa on Tuesday night, and that was largely down to our work off the ball. The back four functioned brilliantly, with Botman and Burn performing very well at Villa Park.