United were in the bottom three and staring relegation in the face when Howe was appointed in November, having amassed just five points from their first 11 matches.

And although the former AFC Bournemouth boss' first two games brought two draws, Newcastle were winless going into their 15th fixture of the season - a situation no team had previously survived from in the Premier League era.

But that 15th game ended in a vital 1-0 victory against Burnley, and their win at Norwich earlier this month was their 11th under Howe, who won the league's Manager of the Month award for February.

Safety has been secured with two games to spare, although in truth United's relegation fears eased several weeks ago, and Howe has been named on a five-man shortlist for the annual award.

Manchester City's Pep Guardiola and Liverpool's Jürgen Klopp are both nominated, while Brentford's Thomas Frank and Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira are the other names in the frame.

The winner will be announced on Tuesday, 24th May, with voting now open here and closing at 6pm (BST) on Monday, 16th May. Votes from the public will be combined with those of a panel of football experts to decide the winner.

Howe was named the LMA (League Managers Association) Manager of the Year in 2015 and the Football League Manager of the Decade in the same year after guiding his former club from the bottom of League Two to the top flight over the course of two spells with the Cherries.