Eddie Howe will have learned a lot during his time out of the game and will come back a 're-energised' manager at Newcastle United.
That is the prediction of Brighton boss Graham Potter ahead of the 43-year-old's expected appointment at St James' Park.
Howe and assistant Jason Tindall were in the directors' box on Saturday night to witness Newcastle's 1-1 draw at Brighton.
It was the first time the television cameras spotted Howe at a stadium since the 43-year-old left Bournemouth after the Cherries were relegated to the Championship last year.
However, as well as spending time with his family, Howe has quietly watched a colossal amount of football in the last 16 month and he has even travelled to Spain to study the methods of Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone and Rayo Vallecano manager Andoni Iraola.
Howe has also been reflecting on what went right and what went wrong in his final season at Bournemouth and Potter has backed the 'top professional' to come back a better manager as a result.
"I think his CV and what he achieved at Bournemouth speaks for itself," Potter told reporters on Zoom. "He has a lot of experience in the Premier League.
"He's probably had a year or so off, but I think it will be beneficial because you can reflect and you can re-energise and come back with the things you did well and maybe the things you can improve, which is normal.
"I think his record speaks for itself. He's a fantastic coach. He will get them organised and provide a clarity to what they're doing.
"They've got some really good players. Joelinton has come on as a sub. [Allan] Saint-Maximin on the turnover is as good as you're going to get in this league. Callum Wilson is a proven striker in this league. There's [Jonjo] Shelvey, [Ryan] Fraser and [Joe] Willock in midfield so they've got some really good players."
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