Eddie Howe refused to be drawn on speculation surrounding his future at Newcastle United, following a difficult run of form both in the Premier League and in Europe. 

Newcastle sit 12th in the Premier League and six points adrift of the top five, having signed off for the March international break with a 2-1 defeat to rivals Sunderland. 

And their hopes of Champions League glory were also dashed by LaLiga leaders Barcelona, with Hansi Flick's side emerging 8-3 victors on aggregate in their round-of-16 clash.

Newcastle have lost six of their last nine Premier League games (W3), the joint-most of any side since the start of this run on January 25 (Tottenham also have six defeats).

Only three sides – Leeds United (eight), Burnley (six), and Tottenham (three) – have fewer points over their last nine top-flight matches than the Magpies' nine. 

That recent run of form has seen Howe's future at St James' Park questioned, despite him leading the club to their first major domestic trophy since 1955 in the EFL Cup last year.

Asked about his future ahead of Sunday's Premier League trip to Crystal Palace, head coach Howe replied: "For me, nothing has changed.

"I'm 100% committed to the job. That commitment has never wavered from my side.

"I've been working during the break to come back a stronger team. In this day and age, it's difficult to look too far into the long term.

"I can only look at these seven games and make sure we perform at our very best level and make sure the players are ready for these games."

Since replacing Steve Bruce in November 2021, Howe has won 82 of his 172 Premier League games in charge of Newcastle (D37 L53).

That puts him just one short of the club's record in the competition, with 83 wins managed by both Bobby Robson (in 188 games) and Kevin Keegan (162).

Overall, this Sunday's clash with Palace will be Howe's 363rd Premier League match as a manager (190 Bournemouth, 173 Newcastle), moving him level with Jose Mourinho and into joint-10th for all-time games in the competition.

It is not the first time that Howe has come under pressure during his time at the helm, having also endured tensions with sporting director Paul Mitchell in the past.

Asked what it would take to keep him happy, Howe, who insisted he had not sought assurances over his immediate future after the Sunderland game, said: "The long-term prospects for the football club, I think, are really strong.

"But certainly in these seasons we've experienced previously, we're probably ahead of schedule. Not all the forces are with us.

"We're going to have to act really smart and try to out-perform the budget to hit the levels that everyone wants."