EDDIE HOWE has singled out Jonjo Shelvey for special praise after reflecting on his first ten days as Newcastle United manager.

Howe has spent the last week-and-a-half working with the group of players he inherited after replacing Steve Bruce, and has been impressed with the way in which the Magpies squad have embraced his key methods and philosophies.

He wants his side to play on the front foot and look to attack the opposition, and expects Shelvey to be a key figure in that process.

The former England midfielder divides opinion, with the strength of his undoubted long-range passing ability having to be offset by the defensive inadequacies that are sometimes apparent within his game.

Howe knew Shelvey possessed plenty of natural talent, but he has been especially impressed by his performances on the training ground and is looking forward to integrating the 29-year-old into his team.

“I think we’ve got some very good players, some very good technical players,” said Howe. “Just picking one for example – Jonjo Shelvey – I knew how good Jonjo was on the ball, technically, having played against him and seen him many times.

“But then when you actually work with him, you realise that he’s an incredible technician. He can play passes all over the pitch – long, short.

“He’s someone that I’ve looked at in terms of our philosophy and how we want to play, he’ll be very important for us as the season develops.

“There’s other players that I could mention, it’s probably unfair (to only name one), but at least I wanted to give you one name.”