Newcastle defender Fabian Schar says manager Eddie Howe and his staff have transformed the club's atmosphere.

The Switzerland international centre-back had been linked with a move to Germany in previous windows but soon agreed a new contract under Howe last spring.

Schar 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 confident with 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."

He added: "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."