Botman joined the Magpies from Lille this summer after Newcastle beat off competition from reigning Italian champions AC Milan for the Dutch centre-back.
The 22-year-old has played every minute of the seven Premier League games he has started, including the stalemate at Old Trafford at the weekend.
Howe has confessed to having a lot of faith in Botman’s prowess which was one of the reasons why the Magpies fought so hard to seal his signing.
So far, according to Howe, Botman has rewarded the faith shown in him, especially given his technical ability on the ball as well as his composure in the defensive third.
Howe admits to being surprised by Botman, though he feels the Dutchman still has some way to go to develop certain facets of his game.
“I don’t want to put any unnecessary pressure on him but my faith in him is huge”, Howe told a press conference.
“We really fought to sign him and it was a long battle to get him – we faced competition from other clubs, but we really stuck to our guns because we felt he was the one that we wanted.
“And I think he’s rewarded that show of faith, because I just see so much potential in this game.
“I think he’s very, very good on the ball – I’ve said that from day one – and he’s surprised me, really, with how good his technical delivery has been and how composed he’s been in what is a very frantic league.
“That composure is really valuable.
“Defensively, I think he’s got all the tools.
“He needs to work and develop certain aspects of his game, like everybody else does, but I do feel he’s got a huge platform now to build and grow into the defender that he’s going to be.”
Newcastle United are presently situated in sixth place in the Premier League table and also boast the best defensive record in the league, with only nine goals conceded from ten games.
