Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has returned to lead the club’s pursuit of Champions League qualification following his recovery from pneumonia.

The Magpies confirmed on Thursday morning that the 47-year-old, who was hospitalised on 11 April after feeling unwell for several days and had missed the club’s last three Premier League fixtures, is now back at work.

A club statement read: "Newcastle United are pleased to announce that Eddie Howe has resumed his duties at the club’s training ground. Eddie was recently hospitalised due to pneumonia and has now returned to work following a period of recovery. We thank our supporters for their kind messages."

Howe, who was appointed as Newcastle’s head coach in November 2021, shortly after Amanda Staveley’s consortium completed its takeover of St James’ Park, had been absent from the training ground in the lead-up to the home match against Manchester United due to illness.

He was unable to attend his pre-match press conference, with assistant Jason Tindall stepping in to manage the team in his place. Tindall, alongside coach Graeme Jones, oversaw back-to-back home victories against Manchester United—after which Howe sent his congratulations from his hospital bed—and Crystal Palace, which propelled Newcastle into third place in the Premier League standings.

However, a 4-1 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday evening, along with results elsewhere, left the club in fifth position, which would still be enough to secure Champions League football for next season, with five matches remaining.

Tindall was more than willing to take on the responsibility as his former Bournemouth colleague, with whom he has worked for 17 years, focused on his recovery.

He remarked after the Crystal Palace match: "The last thing Eddie needs or wants is the stress of thinking about football, tactics, or everything else he would need to manage from home. That wouldn’t help him recover quickly."

Howe’s return will provide a timely boost ahead of Saturday’s crucial clash with Ipswich Town, who are all but mathematically certain to be relegated, joining Southampton and Leicester in dropping out of the Premier League, regardless of the outcome on Tyneside this weekend.

The former Bournemouth manager made history last month, becoming the first Newcastle manager in 70 years to lead the team to major domestic silverware when they secured the Carabao Cup with a 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Wembley. This triumph further solidified Howe's reputation, having guided the club out of relegation danger in his first season and then securing a return to European club football’s most prestigious competition a year later, after a 20-year absence.