EDDIE Howe revealed he decided he would take a year away from management, as soon as he left Cherries last August.

Howe returned to football this week, taking the hotseat at Newcastle United on a deal until 2024.

His appointment came 15 months after his departure from a near eight-year second stint at Cherries.

And Howe feels now the time is right to make his return, admitting he turned down other offers along the way.

Discussing his move to Newcastle, Howe said: "It is an incredible moment in my life.

"Everything just felt right. The pull of the club is huge. The size of the club, the history of the club.

"Obviously the new owners when meeting them. Knowing some of the players, the squad, I just thought it was the perfect for me.

"Yes, I’ve had lots of other options, but I wanted to take my time and really utilise my time away from the game. I feel refreshed, energised and ready to start work.

"I’ll give everything to the job. I’ll commit 100 per cent every single day to try and bring success to Newcastle for everybody connected with the club."

He continued: "I said I was going to take a year out, this is internally, not publicly. It was, ‘I’m going to take a year, I’m not going to take a job’.

"It didn’t matter what job came up in that year, I felt I needed to reset, recharge and re-educate myself and take myself away from the thought of taking a job and commit to my family for a period of time and then commit to coming back better.

"Even in work, that’s been my focus, self-improvement. And doing that on a day-to-day basis while in work, but I think it’s much clearer when you’re out of work, when you’re out of the emotions that football management can bring.

"You can take yourself away to a different place mentally."