Newcastle United hero Nobby Solano is full of praise for manager Eddie Howe.

Howe has also hauled Newcastle away from the danger zone and within five points of the top 10, with Solano feeling fans can at least be optimistic about qualifying for Europe again in the long-term.

Solano told Chronicle Live: "I think we can talk about top 10 challenges again looking forward, whether that is this season or next season we will have to wait to see. This season the most important thing is to be safe, then next season we are looking at that push.

"The team is certainly playing with a lot more confidence so it's up to them now what they want to achieve in the last nine matches, whether they want to finish strong or not. They picked up important results during the nine-game spell at crucial times. Now it's about whether they push or not.

"In fairness, I don't think we could ask much more from Eddie Howe. Eddie came in and inherited a bit of a mess left behind by Mike Ashley. Any new manager will always take time to set up a new team. Eddie's done a good job, they aren't safe yet but they have a big chance of more than just survival."