£10m Newcastle player named in UCL team of the week after top performance against AC Milan

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It was far from a vintage performance by Newcastle United on Tuesday night as they returned to Champions League action with a 0-0 draw with AC Milan.

Eddie Howe picked a strong starting eleven, albeit one that raised a couple of eyebrows with Jacob Murphy starting ahead of Miguel Almiron and Harvey Barnes.

For the most part everyone did okay, but there was one player who stood out head and shoulders above the rest and that was goalkeeper Nick Pope.

Nick Pope made it into the WhoScored Team of the Round

The £10million signing from Burnley made a series of top drawer saves as Milan peppered his goal with shots from all angles and ranges.

His performance saw him garner 10/10 ratings and Player of the Match plaudits in several publications including The Chronicle.

Now Pope has been placed in WhoScored’s UCL Team of the Week with a rating of 8.41 with the site saying: “Newcastle’s number one made a total of eight saves as the Magpies played out a goalless draw at San Siro on their return to the Champions League; only once has the England international made more in a match that WhoScored have full coverage for.

“The 31-year-old’s rating of 8.41 saw him awarded the player of the match award and a spot in the team of the round. “

Pope’s inclusion into the TotR should show that Newcastle mean business

The only other Premier League representatives in the team were Julian Alvaraez of Manchester City and Martin Odegaard of Arsenal while Barcelona had three players in the side.

It’s a great start for Newcastle to have one of their players recognised as a top performer in the competition in the opening week and should show that we’re not here just to make up the numbers.

Paris Saint-Germain come to St James’ Park for the next game off the back of their 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund. Their confidence will be high but that St James’ Park atmosphere will take the wind out of their sails giving the Magpies a strong chance of getting something out of the game.