‘Done very well’: Eddie Howe suggests 30-year-old Newcastle United player is now fitter than he’s ever seen him

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Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has suggested that Jonjo Shelvey is fitter than he’s ever seen him before.

Howe was speaking to the media, via Chronicle Live, ahead of Newcastle’s home match against Everton tomorrow.

The Newcastle manager provided an update on the fitness of a number of key players.

One of those players was Shelvey, who has yet to play for the Magpies this season.

Shelvey underwent surgery on his hamstring in August, and has been recovering ever since.

The original suggestion was that Shelvey would be unavailable until after the World Cup.

However, Shelvey now appears to be a nearing a return to action much sooner than expected.

Whether or not he can break into the Newcastle side is another matter.

The recent form of Howe’s midfielders has been sensational, and Newcastle find themselves in the top six at this early stage of the season.

Bruno Guimaraes in particular has been earning plenty of praise after scoring a brace against Brentford last weekend.

Last season Howe thought about pairing Shelvey and Guimaraes together, and he might get the opportunity to do so very soon.

Shelvey is fitter than ever – Howe

Speaking to the media about the 30-year-old midfielder, Howe said: “The key thing is training. We’re continuing to work Shelvey very hard.

“He’s in the very early stages of coming back.

“He would only enter the pitch at the moment in an absolute emergency for us.

“We’re building his load, building his training time but he’s looking really good and he’s done very well.

“He’s as fit as I’ve seen him to be honest.”

It’s a testament to the hard of Shelvey and Newcastle’s coaching staff that Shelvey is fitter than ever after his surgery.

He was on the bench against Manchester United at the weekend, but Howe seems keen to ease him into playing very slowly.

Shelvey is a player Howe has shown plenty of trust in already since arriving at the club.

He was handed the captain’s armband towards the end of last season before picking up an injury.

The creative midfielder will be hoping to work his way back into Howe’s side quickly once he’s fully fit.