UPDATE: Newcastle has an advantage over Manchester City, according to a star player.

Jonas Gutierrez has stated that Newcastle United have one key advantage over Premier League rivals Manchester City.

Jonas Gutierrez is a cult hero at Newcastle United. The Argentine spent seven seasons at St James’ Park during his playing days.

At that time, the Magpies were a club that spent time in the Championship, between spells of fighting for a mid-table finish in the Premier League.

Things are very different on Tyneside these days, with Eddie Howe having guided the club back into the Champions League, and they will be eyeing up further success this season.

Gutierrez has been thrilled by his former club’s rise. The Newcastle fan favourite believes the club are on track to challenge the likes of Manchester City for the Premier League title in the near future.

Speaking to Spanish publication AS, Gutierrez said, “it’s a very big club. Today we got what people were looking for, the change of management. The Newcastle fan wanted that change. But success is not about money, it’s about choosing the right people for each position. That the results have come in such a short time is very good. The difference between Newcastle and City is that Newcastle was always very big. It’s similar to what happened with Atlético. A big club that couldn’t achieve goals, and with Simeone they found a long-term project to grow. Newcastle is the same. They spent years in the second division, but they are one of the biggest in England. They have the advantage to make a good project.”

Where Newcastle need to go from here

Atletico Madrid have done extraordinarily well under Diego Simeone to compete with the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona for trophies in recent seasons. Newcastle face a similar challenge, with Machenster City currently the dominant force in English football, and Arsenal likely to be their closest challengers this season.

However, Howe won’t be happy to settle for this status quo. He will be plotting a way of overhauling Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering side. As Gutierrez suggested, the club already have a great platform to build on in search of this success. Newcastle have a big stadium, a large and loyal fanbase, an attractive history, and international recognition.

Howe is still in the early stages of what must be viewed as a long-term project. Newcastle need to progress gradually, and improve incrementally. The aim of this season should be to consolidate their involvement in the Champions League with another top four finish, and to seriously challenge for the domestic cups.