Fabian Schar says it was a "tough" episode of his career before the arrival of Eddie Howe and his staff at Newcastle United.
The Switzerland international centre-back had been linked with a move to Germany in previous windows but soon agreed a new contract under Howe last spring. And the moment that Howe told him he was a big part of his plans moving forward, Schar had no hesitation in signing a new deal.
Schar said: "I’ve said this a lot of times. From day one, I’ve had confidence in the gaffer, which helps me a lot. Obviously, it was tough before (Howe’s arrival), but since they arrived, I felt confident with them, 100%. I did my part as well, played my game and got back to my best.
"I concentrated on my game to perform the best possible and tried to help the team. It’s what I try every game."
Newcastle have started the season with just one defeat in six matches in the Premier League - a narrow loss at Liverpool - and after finishing 11th last term, the aim for Schar and co is to better that position. For all the talk of challenging for Europe simply bettering last season will be a real sign of progress.
Schar added: "For us, we want to continue the work from last year. We had a pretty good second half of the year, and we want to build on that.
"The last few years I’ve been here, most years we’ve had tough starts. We want to continue the work we did last year to get better."
READ NEXT
- Inside Newcastle United new boy Alexander Isak's low key press unveiling
- The inside story of Newcastle United's transfer window - all the bids, stories and 'mega opportunity'
- 'They get a shock', Kieran Trippier describes reactions of visiting teams who turn up at St James' Park
- Newcastle's two deadline day transfer bids and Howe sends message to Joao Pedro
- Joao Pedro transfer truth and Newcastle's deadline day stance
