United were drawn in a four-team group along with European royalists Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and Milan but came within half an hour of reaching the last 16 before surrendering their 1-0 lead against the Italian giants.
The 20-year wait to compete again in Europe’s top competition came to an unexpected and shocking conclusion, but Howe is determined to make those evenings happen again.
“Yes, I firmly believe that it has piqued our interest in returning there, and that serves as a powerful source of inspiration for us,” Howe stated. “It’s probably too early to tell if it’s already benefiting us.
“It goes without saying that after a situation like that, you have to give the players time to process their feelings before getting back to work. As managers and coaches, it is our responsibility to guide the thought process in the direction you desire.
“It’s the future, for sure, and we can still have a fantastic season.”
Newcastle is seven points behind Manchester City in fourth position in the Premier League, thus they have an uphill battle to finish inside the top four this year.
Howe’s ability to switch up his starting lineup has been hampered by an ongoing stream of ailments. United has a history of being worn out, especially while playing away from home. Their only league away victory came against Sheffield United in September.
But with 22 games remaining and important players back, Howe thinks his team can still contend for a spot in the top four, which will likely also feature Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Aston Villa.
“Yeah, of course we can, but we’re going to need to have a really good run of form,”
“We’ve got every chance, we’ve got the games and the points are available for us but we’re going to have to sustain a really good period of form by winning games and improving our away form.
“There are challenges that we need to respond to. But I’ll back the group to do that, we always have historically.”
