Eddie Howe handed Loris Karius his first ever start for Newcastle United on Thursday night, and the Toon boss has admitted that he was impressed with the goalkeeper.
With Karl Darlow suffering from illness, Karius was selected to start in goal against Al Hilal. It was a real opportunity for the 29-year-old to impress, especially with Newcastle’s Carabao Cup game against Bournemouth looming.
It is unclear who will start that game, as it could come just three days after the World Cup final which may or may not involve Newcastle’s first choice stopper Nick Pope.
If England go deep into the tournament, it is unlikely that the Toon players involved will feature on December 21st.
That means a chance in goal for Darlow or Karius, and the latter certainly made the most of his opportunity on Thursday night.
He was one of our top performers in Riyadh, and proved that he is worthy of the contract extension that could be coming his way.
Howe impressed with Karius and Gillespie
After the 5-0 win, Howe spoke to NUFC TV. He heaped praise on Karius, and also took time to compliment Mark Gillespie after his second half outing.
“Credit to them [Al Hilal]. They gave us issues defensively,” Howe said.
“Both goalkeepers played well today, so that was really pleasing to see.”
He went on to add: “Loris had a bit to do in the first-half, we weren’t quite at our sharpest – especially in the opening stages. So he made a number of really good saves and commanded his box well.
“Then Mark came on and was very impressive. Took a really difficult corner and made a couple of really good saves.”
Strength in depth for Newcastle
While Pope is our undisputed number one, it is good to see other goalkeepers coming in and impressing.
This was Karius’ first appearance since joining Newcastle in September. He is yet to play a competitive game for the Magpies.
That is something Gillespie did last season in the cup, but he is massively on the fringes this time. The local lad was not named in Howe’s 25-man Premier League squad, but it was good for him to get a run out on Thursday night.
He looked decent too, ensuring Newcastle kept a clean sheet in Riyadh.
While the scoreline reads 5-0, Al Hilal actually created a lot of chances. But Karius and Gillespie were equal to all of them, and now the former is pushing for a competitive start in Toon colours.
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