Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe said "a huge thank you" for the support he has received while recovering from pneumonia.

Howe was admitted to hospital on Friday, and missed his side's 4-1 victory over Manchester United at St James' Park on Sunday.

Assistant manager Jason Tindall – along with scorers Harvey Barnes and Bruno Guimaraes – paid tribute to Howe after Newcastle boosted their Champions League qualifying hopes.

The club confirmed the 47-year-old's diagnosis on Monday, while Tindall and Graeme Jones will continue to lead the team in his absence, taking charge of their games against Crystal Palace and Aston Villa this week.

"A huge thank you to everyone connected with Newcastle United and the wider football community for your messages and warm wishes," Howe said in a statement. "They have meant a lot to me and my family.

"I also want to pay tribute to our incredible NHS and the hospital staff who have treated me. I'm immensely grateful for the specialist care I'm receiving and, after a period of recovery, I look forward to being back as soon as possible."

The win over Man Utd lifted Newcastle to fourth place in the Premier League table, and they will leapfrog Nottingham Forest to third by winning their game in hand against Palace on Wednesday.

Last month, Howe led the Magpies to glory in the EFL Cup, and what was their first major silverware in 70 years.

The Magpies did not feel Howe's absence from the touchline against the Red Devils.

Newcastle became the fourth side to do the league double over United this season (also Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham), the most teams to win home and away against the Red Devils in a league campaign since 1957-58 (four).

They have won 12 of their last 16 Premier League games (L4), a sequence which began with a 4-0 win over Leicester City on December 14. Indeed, since that date, only Liverpool (P18 W12 D5 L1 – 41 points) have won more points in the competition than Newcastle (36), having played two more games than the Magpies during this period.