EDDIE Howe was once again at the front of the queue giving praise to Jonjo Shelvey after the midfielder’s performance in Newcastle United’s win over Leeds United.

Shelvey grabbed the winning goal of the game in the 75th minute beating Illan Meslier with a bending free-kick into the far corner. He then went on to help the Magpies rearguard keep Leeds out for the remainder of the game.

The English midfielder has come in for high praise under Howe since his arrival back in October and has been a consistent feature in the Newcastle side.

For the head coach, it was yet again another vindication of his faith in Shelvey’s ability.

He said after the win at Elland Road: “He’s the central player in the team. He’s the supplier in possession. He starts a lot of our attacks. He’s got a really good eye and a really good range of passing.

“If you are the central player in the starting possession, then you’re the central player from a defensive perspective. He got his positioning very accurate today.

“I thought he intercepted the ball a number of times, I think that’s a very good marker of how well you are positioning yourself and he stopped a lot of attacks. I was really pleased with him from that perspective. If you ask him, I think that’s the hardest part of his game. He played a pivotal role in us getting the win.”

The Magpies have arrived in their week long training camp in Saudi Arabia.

They will spend the week in Jeddah ahead of their next Premier League game which comes against Everton in just over two weeks time. An exhibition match against Al Ittihad will also be played on the Friday.