A claim has been dropped on Eddie Howe by his representative after the Daily Record recently linked him with Newcastle United.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the representative of the former AFC Bournemouth manager quashed rumours that Howe is close to joining Celtic:

"Talks of any deal being close are extremely premature.

"His plan remains to not return to management until the summer at the earliest."

Howe has also been linked to both Celtic and Crystal Palace, with the former his most likely destination given that John Kennedy is only in interim charge at the Hoops and Roy Hodgson is still in charge at Selhurst Park.

Steve Bruce is still of course in charge at St. James' Park, but with the North East club currently stuck in a battle to avoid being relegated from the Premier League down to the EFL Championship, the former Aston Villa and Sunderland boss may find his managerial position under threat come the end of the 2020/21 term.

Newcastle should appoint Howe if Bruce leaves

If Bruce were to leave the Tyneside club at the end of the season, then they should look no further than appointing Howe as his replacement if he is still available at that time.

Former top-flight striker now pundit Noel Whelan described him as a 'fantastic' manager back in March, and he certainly has the CV to prove it, bringing the little Cherries all the way up to the Premier League and keeping them there for five straight campaigns.

At just 43 years of age as well, Howe is still relatively young as a coach, and can only develop in his next few years in management.

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