The midfielder is now inside the final year of his current contract.
Howe said, "You just have to look at his qualities. He is highly intelligent, and understands the team’s objectives in and out of possession.
"Technically he is a very good player. And he has high energy. If you look at his running date week to week, it is usually one of the highest in the Premier League. He brings a lot of energy to the team. That is what we would miss if he is not playing.
“It is always difficult to talk about one player in such detail but Sean has been very very good since I have been here as manager.
"Brilliant to work with from my perspective and I think his general perofmances have improved.
"He still has areas to work on like every player has but he has been fundamentally important. He has performance really well and has played near enough every game when he has been fit.
"Competition now is higher than it has ever been. He is going to know that and be very aware that he is competing with very good players for a starting place . That is a battle I hope elevates every single one of them to play better than they think they are capable of."