DAVIDE Santon claims Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew is every bit as special as the 'Special One'.

Santon worked under Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan as the former Chelsea boss guided his Italian employers to an unprecedented treble of the Serie A title, Coppa Italia and Champions League.

The 21-year-old left Italy last August to join Newcastle, and has spent the last nine months working with Pardew.

And while his current manager might not have enjoyed the same level of success as his previous boss in Milan, he sees strong similarities between the two.

"I've always said he (Pardew) reminds me of Mourinho," said Santon, who has established himself as Newcastle's first-choice left-back in the second half of the season.

"They've got the same mentality and same will to win the way they study tactics, their meticulous preparations and the way they have team meetings before the game. That's the same as at Inter Milan.

"The preparation here is perfect and it's all geared towards winning. Alan Pardew is also excellent at getting the team spirit just right before games."I've been very impressed with him since I got here. I've always been happy here even when I've not been in the team because I realise the manager was giving me time to settle in and study the team.

"I like the mentality the manager's got with the way he studies the players, the way he thinks about the game, and the way he wants to win."

Given that he only turned 21 in January, it was hardly a surprise that Santon took time to settle into life in the Premier League.

He did not make his first league start until December, and that was hardly an auspicious occasion as Newcastle crashed to a 4-2 defeat at Norwich.

He has gradually improved though, and now looks perfectly at home in the physical cut and thrust of a Premier League encounter.

And just as Fabricio Coloccini and Jose Enrique improved markedly in their second season in English football, so it is hoped Santon will continue to develop next term.

"When I arrived, I needed time to study the other players, see how they played and how I would fit into that," he explained. "I also needed time to see how physical the game was. It took me some time to get used to things. It takes time to get used to a new league and a new team, but once I got over that I started to settle in."

The defender will be back in action tomorrow as Newcastle look to end their season on a high at Everton, with Champions League qualification still a possibility if the Magpies can take all three points from Goodison Park.

"It's difficult for us to make it into the Champions League because Arsenal and Tottenham are above us," said Santon. "We're concentrating on winning the last game and we're in Europe no matter what happens, which is great. We'll just have to see what happens."