Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe answers European question

The club is sixth in the Premier League table with 18 points following last night’s 1-0 win over Everton at St James’s Park. It’s the best start to a top-flight campaign since the 2011/12 season, when Alan Pardew guided the club to a fifth-placed finish.

There are hopes that Howe, like Pardew, can bring European football back to St James’s Park, and he was asked after the Everton game if the performance and result underlined his team’s top-six credentials.

“I don’t think we’re looking at necessarily longer-term targets for the season, we’re just trying to give our best in every game,” said United’s head coach. “I know that’s not the answer you want to hear, but that’s where we are at the moment. We’re not putting any pressure on ourselves internally other than giving our best and trying to win every game.”

Newcastle are away to third-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.