Newcastle’s Howe not contacted ‘whatsoever’ about England job

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe said Tuesday he has not had any official contact about the vacant England manager’s post and stressed he was firmly committed to the Premier League club.

“Absolutely no contact whatsoever from anybody and I’m fully committed to Newcastle,” Howe told reporters in Tokyo, when asked whether the English Football Association had approached him about taking charge of the national team.

Newcastle are in Japan for pre-season matches against J-League outfits Urawa Red Diamonds on Wednesday and Yokohama F. Marinos on Saturday.

Howe has been linked with the England job — vacated by Gareth Southgate after the Euro 2024 final defeat this month — along with former Chelsea bosses Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Graham Potter.

Howe shrugged off suggestions that his players needed to hear directly from him about his loyalty to Newcastle while public speculation about his future swirled.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” said Howe. 

“I don’t need to address the players. They know, I hope, by how I act and how I am on a daily basis and how committed I am to the club.”

Howe said the long journey and Japan’s extreme summer heat could pose a challenge to his team ahead of the two matches this week.

“Of course, when you travel somewhere this distance and the turnaround times are very quick, and the travel really does impact you. And speaking sort of on behalf of the players, it is tough,” Howe said.

Even a light practice could feel “a tough one” due to the high temperatures, he said.

“I think the biggest factor we’ll have to deal with is the heat,” said Howe. 

“Just from the training today, you can see the effect that it has on the players. Even a drill that’s very light suddenly turns into a tough one,” he said.

“I think athletically it’s going to be a big test for us. Probably the ideal test for where we are during pre-season.”