Howe spent four nights in hospital earlier this month and was forced to miss his side’s matches with Manchester United, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa as his assistant, Jason Tindall, took charge of the team.
Having been discharged from hospital, the Newcastle boss spent the first two days of last week recuperating at his home, but by Wednesday, he was back overseeing training at the club’s Darsley Park complex, and on Saturday, he returned to the St James’ Park touchline to preside over the 3-0 win over Ipswich Town.
He was offered the opportunity to delay his return to work following such a serious illness, but was adamant he wanted to resume his managerial duties as quickly as possible, with Newcastle involved in a hard-fought battle for Champions League qualification.
“I feel it’s my duty,” said Howe. “I have to be able to perform, though, so I was only going to come back if I could give the players what they need and they could look at me and see me as myself, not a pale imitation. I felt I was strong enough to do that.
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“Then, I feel it’s my duty, so I’ve got to be here as quickly as I can, as long as I’m able to execute what I need to do.”
Howe was serenaded by the St James’ Park crowd at the weekend, and while his focus was primarily on the game as his side returned to third position in the table, he wasa grateful for the support he received from the stands.
“It’s been a very emotional few weeks for me,” he said. “I have to say, I’ve gone from highs and lows. You sort of look at things differently and appreciate everything a lot more.
“I appreciate being here (at St James’), I appreciate everything to do with Newcastle, I appreciate the support I’ve had, and in a sense, that’s made me very emotional. But I think when it’s business time, when it’s game time, you turn up and we’ve got to do our job and try to win.”
