DAN ASHWORTH claims Newcastle United have done all they can to prevent Eddie Howe from being lured away to take charge of England – and has revealed the Magpies manager does not have a clause in his contract that would enable the Football Association to speak to him about a potential vacancy.

Having presided over a disastrous Nations League campaign that saw England relegated to the second tier, Gareth Southgate’s managerial future has been the subject of increased debate ahead of next month’s World Cup finals in Qatar.

If England underperform in the Middle East, there is a good chance Southgate could be dismissed, even though his current contract is due to take him all the way through to the next European Championships finals in Germany in 2024. If England have a particularly successful World Cup, there is also a chance Southgate could opt to walk away after presiding over three major tournament campaigns.

Either way, the FA could find themselves looking for a new England boss before the turn of the year, with Howe currently topping most bookmakers’ lists to be Southgate’s successor.

The Newcastle boss was on the FA’s radar prior to Southgate’s appointment, and will have impressed FA chiefs during his tenure on Tyneside, both in terms of his impact on the field and the way in which he has handled difficult questions about the Magpies’ Saudi Arabian ownership while speaking with the press.

Howe signed a new long-term contract with Newcastle in early August, and as part of the discussions that led to that deal, Ashworth is confident Magpies officials have done all they can to persuade the 44-year-old that he is already in the best place for his career development.

“From a club point of view, I would like to think we have done everything we can with Eddie and his staff,” said Ashworth, who is a former director of elite development at the FA. “We have given Eddie and his staff a long-term deal. So, we have shown our support to him and how much we think of him.

“We have tried to give him the right tools, whether that is facilities, player recruitment or enhancing some of the departments that help support him and the players. We have just given him all the support we can – and that includes the fans too.”

Given the way in which Howe hauled Newcastle away from relegation trouble last season, and has guided his side into a top-six position during the current campaign, Ashworth would not be surprised if he was in demand.

The opportunity to manage the national team would have an obvious emotional appeal for any English boss, but Howe finds himself in a unique position of leading Newcastle at the starting point of a journey that could take the club pretty much anywhere with the backing of a Saudi Arabian ownership group boasting immense wealth.

Howe was asked about the England job at a press conference earlier this month, and while he stopped short of categorically ruling himself out of any future vacancy, he hardly suggested he was hoping for a call from the FA.

“Obviously, I work closely with Eddie and speak to him every day,” continued Ashworth. “Things are in good place, and I would sincerely hope and be confident he’d stay (if he was offered the England job). But I can't speak for Eddie, and I can't speak for the FA about whether Gareth stays until 2024 or whether there will be vacancy.

“Whether there is a vacancy or whether Eddie is on their list, I can't speak for that. All we can do is control the controllables and make sure Eddie gets the support around him that gives him every chance of succeeding.”

And if the FA were to come calling, Newcastle would be within their rights to prevent the governing body from speaking to their current head coach.

Asked directly about whether Howe’s contract contains a clause enabling him to speak to the FA, Ashworth said: “No. We have done everything we can from a contractual point of view that you’d do for a manager or coaching staff to protect the club as much as we can.”