Newcastle United defender Fabian Schar has revealed his close relationship with Eddie Howe, who he admits he felt the love from on day one.
[Neue Zürcher Zeitung](https://www.nzz.ch/) have an interview with the defender today in which he talks all things Newcastle and his love for the current manager.
The 33-year-old is a key player under Howe’s management, shining again this season as they’ve won the League Cup and ended the club’s 70 year wait for a trophy.
It’s been another outstanding season for the defender, who is very much a key player under Howe, who is very much the influential manager of his career to date. He’s made 154 appearances under him, considerably more than any other manager.
And the defender admits he felt the love from the Newcastle boss from day one, something which hasn’t gone away.
“For me, it’s extremely important that I feel the coach’s affection and enjoy his trust – I felt that 100% with Eddie Howe from day one,” he said.
“It’s made me better over the past few years. He knows me very well, both as a player and as a person, and he knows what I can offer a team – and he makes that possible.
“The coach understands how to incorporate the individual strengths of each player into our game. For me, that’s opening the game, for example, which he encourages by giving me space.”
Despite being a centre-back, Schar is not unaccustomed to making an impact at the end of the pitch as well.
Indeed, in 230 games for the club he has 21 goals and 10 assists to his name, numbers that some players playing further up the pitch would be jealous of.
Lots of those goals have come from a tendency to step forward and line up long-range efforts, which have become something of a trademark for him. That’s something most managers would discourage, but now Howe.
“If I never scored a goal, he would tell me to stop,” he added.
“I’ve always been a dangerous player in front of goal; that’s never changed. The attacking mindset is part of my game. When in doubt, I’m more likely to look for a finish than a cross.”