Rio Ferdinand believes Eddie Howe and his team at Newcastle deserve huge credit for the way he has revitalised the Magpies since taking over.
Howe's Newcastle travel to Aston Villa for Saturday's early kick-off, with the Magpies looking for every point they can get on their way to a possible Champions League place.
In-form Villa are helmed by Unai Emery, who was offered the Newcastle job in November 2021, before being spooked.
The north-east club looked in a dire mess before Howe took the role, and now they could crack the top four.