Graeme Souness says two Newcastle players looked awful but now Eddie Howe has transformed them

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Graeme Souness has shared what he thinks Eddie Howe has been so good at as Newcastle United manager since joining in 2021.

Howe is under a lot of pressure at the minute with Newcastle struggling in the Premier League, but the 46-year-old has a lot of credit in the bank because of his recent success with the club.

Speaking on talkSPORT’s show Simon & Souness, Souness explained how he’d been so impressed with Howe’s ability to transform players like Joelinton and Miguel Almiron.

Howe has worked wonders with an average Newcastle squad

Yes, Newcastle have spent a lot of money in the recent windows but largely because their squad was nowhere near Premier League standard and it was a miracle that they had stayed up in that first season.

To achieve Champions League qualification the very next season with a lot of the same players starting was an unbelievable, thought he’s now suffering because of it.

Both Joelinton and Almiron had practically been written off as Premier League footballer’s under Steve Bruce and it was almost the expectation that they would be moved on never to return to the top flight because they just didn’t meet the standard.

Fast forward two years and the pair are now absolutely key to the way that Newcastle play, both of them suiting the high-pressing high intensity style that Howe loves so much, and they certainly wouldn’t have reached top four without them.

On the podcast, Souness said: “Yeah, I think he has done a very good job there. A big part of the job is getting more out of the players than the previous manager did and when you look at two players, Joelinton and Almiron. They didn’t look like Premier League players until Eddie got there. He has improved them. I think he is getting an extra yard out of some of them.

“They are hitting a bit of a wall at the moment but if you said six weeks ago or four weeks ago where are Newcastle under Eddie Howe, you’d say they were further down the road than they should be.”

Newcastle keen to add more workhorses to the team

Joelinton and Almiron are exceptionally good at what they do and a large part of that is the ability to drive themselves into the ground for Howe in every single game.

In some respects it’s quite easy to earn the support of St James’ Park to an extent, you simply have to give everything for the shirt and the team and you’ll be given the warmest of receptions every time you step on the pitch.

What Howe has tried to do in the last couple of years is fill his side with those kinds of players, as well as transforming those who were already there into being more motivated for the team.

Of course, they will look to add quality as well, but what seems to be the most important attribute for the former Bournemouth man is that they are a good character for the squad and are committed to the team.