Eddie Howe says £4m Newcastle player has been struggling recently despite starting

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Eddie Howe has claimed that one of his Newcastle United players hasn’t been fully fit as of late despite starting a number of games.

Newcastle overcame a resilient Blackburn side last night to book their spot in the quarter final of the FA Cup and they have Martin Dubravka to thank for keeping them in the game and winning the penalty shootout.

In an interview with BBC Radio Newcastle, Howe shared that the Slovakian has been dealing with a bit of an issue as of late despite starting most games and was happy to see him take his moment last night.

Howe happy for Newcastle hero vs Blackburn

It’s been a difficult few months for Dubravka who has had to step up to replace the injured Nick Pope who has been out since early December and things haven’t exactly been going to plan lately.

Newcastle currently have one of the worst defences in the Premier League and it’s meant that the shot-stopper has had to pick the ball out the back of his net time and time again.

Of course, a lot of the blame has been pinned on the goalkeeper by supporters for a lack of quality, but the midfield and defence haven’t exactly been at the top of their game to help the £4m signing out.

However, last night it was Dubravka’s moment to shine after making some brilliant saves to deny Blackburn, especially in extra time, and then saving two of their five penalties to take Newcastle into the next round.

Speaking on Dubravka, Howe said: “It’s a difficult one because there’s only so much I can say. I don’t want to talk too much detail about people’s health for obvious reasons nut Martin hasn’t been 100% during the last period.”

Newcastle one game away from Wembley

WIth the pressure now mounting on Howe for Newcastle’s poor position in the league, they absolutely had to win against Blackburn no matter what and now they are just one game away from another trip to the capital.

Having already made one final under Howe’s leadership, the first for two decades at Newcastle, it has wet the appetite for more visits and the supporters are absolutely desperate to see their team lift a trophy.

It won’t be easy with Manchester City and Liverpool still in the competition but on their day Newcastle can go toe-to-toe with any team as we saw in the Champions League against PSG and in the league when they narrowly lost to City in the last minute.

Now, though, they have to shelve the thought of their FA Cup run and stay completely focused on defeating Wolves who leapfrogged them in the table at the weekend and are now a contended for Europe.