EDDIE HOWE is hoping the completion of contract talks with Anthony Gordon will help the Newcastle United winger return to the kind of form that made him such a potent asset last season.

Gordon has delivered a series of below-par performances in the first two months of the season amid suggestions that his head was turned when the Newcastle hierarchy agreed to hold talks with Liverpool over his future earlier this summer.

In an attempt to underline their continued commitment to one of their star performers, Newcastle’s executive team have held contract discussions with Gordon and his representatives in the last few weeks.

And with an agreement over a lucrative new six-year deal understood to be imminent, Howe is hoping that Gordon, who has entered the final two years of his current deal on Tyneside, will be able to focus on getting back to his best on the pitch.

“We love Anthony,” said the Newcastle boss. “We’d love him to commit his future here. We’d love him to stay long-term at Newcastle and continue his excellent start to his career here.

“When you look at the broader piece of what he's done since he's arrived at the football club, I think he's been magnificent for us. We need to try and help him get back to his very best levels. And if that means signing a new contract, then I'm all for that, to help him be settled and concentrate on his football.”

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This summer’s discussions with Liverpool came when Newcastle were scrambling to raise funds to ensure they remained compliant with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules, but Howe does not feel they have caused irreparable damage to the winger’s relationship with his current employers.

“Anthony is still the same lad,” he said. “He’s still very, very focused on his career and very focused on his performance. He wants to do well, he wants to do well for Newcastle.

“I think like a number of other players, he’s a bit frustrated, and that frustration in a performance or a game can manifest itself in a number of different ways. We need to be mindful of that and control it.”