Eddie Howe has thanked the NHS for their care following his recent scare with pneumonia. The Newcastle manager missed three of his side’s recent clashes after being hospitalised, but he has since returned to training.

The Englishman has conceded that although he is not feeling ‘100 per cent’ physically, he is on the mend and will be in the St James’ Park dugout when the Magpies take on Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon.

Speaking about his battle with the illness, Howe explained: “It's been difficult. I try to take a positive from every experience but this has been a real challenge. The Leicester game I felt awful.

“I planned to come back to training ahead of Manchester United (the first game he missed). I had a shower and was getting ready to go and something was telling me 'no'. That was the moment things changed.

“I was pleased to be told to go to hospital. That was the right place for me. It was a bit of a relief to get that care in that moment. The care I received from the NHS was first-class. A big thank you to Charlotte Milne and all her staff who looked after me. The care and I love I felt from them. The well wishes I received from everyone - I really do appreciate it.

“I have to say it brings a sharper focus on what is important in your life. My family and friends looked after me in this period. It brings clarity. You can't take things for granted.”

Newcastle cruised to a 4-1 victory over United in Howe’s absence, before impressing again when putting Crystal Palace to the sword in a 5-0 win. The Toon Army were then emphatically stopped in their tracks last weekend when suffering a 4-1 loss at the hands of Aston Villa.

Howe’s side have the ideal opportunity to bounce back to form against an Ipswich side who are on the cusp of relegation, and the ex-Bournemouth boss revealed that he started preparing for the match as early as possible in his recovery.

He concluded: “I'd like to think I would act differently if feeling that way again. I do think it's important as there's a temptation to think you can fight through anything. When I felt well enough, the laptop was straight back out. I was watching Ipswich Town straight away!”