Jeremy Howe was specifically recruited to play up forward for Collingwood and that is where he will be in 2016, coach Nathan Buckley says. 

Howe, 25, requested a trade to the Magpies after playing 100 games for Melbourne between 2011 and 2015.

The high-flyer kicked 80 goals in his career for the Demons but spent a large part of 2015 playing as a rebounding defender under Paul Roos. 

Buckley said Magpie fans could expect to see Howe lighting up Collingwood's attack in 2016.

"He'll (Howe) play centre-forward for us. We've recruited him with that in mind," Buckley said on Friday

"He's come off a hip operation but he's training pretty well. What he shows on the track is his speed, endurance repetition.

"He's understanding our running patterns and where we want him to go in different roles forward of the ball.

"He's shown some good things, but there's still plenty to go."