Newcastle United defender Davide Santon has likened current manager Alan Pardew to Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho.

Santon played under the former Chelsea boss during his time with Inter Milan, and the Italy international believes that Pardew possesses the same qualities as 'The Special One'.

"The manager does remind me of Mourinho. They've got the same mentality and the same will to win," Santon told the Daily Star.

"Their meticulous preparations before games are perfect and the way they study tactics are similar. The team meetings before every game are just the same as they were at Inter. It's all geared towards winning.

"Alan Pardew is excellent at getting the team spirit just right before games. I've been very impressed with him since I got here."

Pardew's achievements with the Magpies this season were recognised yesterday when he was named manager of the year.