Eddie Howe has claimed that he is still sometimes caught by surprise by one Newcastle United player after a brilliant performance against Aston Villa.
Howe could not have hoped for a better start to the game against the best home team in the Premier League this season with Fabian Schar giving Newcastle a 2-0 lead in the first half.
Although it was his first goal in the league for 18 months, the Swiss defender is known to be a brilliant technician on the ball and Howe admitted on TNT Sports after the game that he is still surprised by the £3m defender.
Howe was full of praise for Newcastle hero last night
You have to go all the way back to 2019 to find the last time Schar scored a brace in a football match, but it’s something that won’t come as too much of a shock to Newcastle fans who know how good he can be striking a ball.
Just take his effort against PSG in the Champions League for example, a goal that Lionel Messi would have been proud to have scored and would have been talked about for weeks on end.
The Swiss international has quickly become one of the most underrated centre-backs in the Premier League and for some they would even argue that he’d been Newcastle best and most reliable defender this season.
Howe was full of praise for the man of the match after the game and was very pleased with how both he and Sven Botman partnered up at the heart of Newcastle’s defence.
When asked if Schar could be played as a striker, Howe said: “If you did he would probably score goals because he is technically so gifted for a centre-back. He does the unexpected.
“Great to see him on the scoresheet today because he is a goalscorer, he has been a bit quiet of late. His all round game today was very good along with Sven, I thought they were back to their best as a pairing.”
Schar still has so much to give Newcastle
In some respects it’s a real shame that the takeover and Howe didn’t come sooner for Schar whose career has really blossomed in the last two years thanks to the 46-year-old head coach.
Schar will be 33 this year and entering the twilight of his career, though his game is so effective and doesn’t rely on pace that he could still have a huge role to play at Newcastle for a while now.
It’s understood that Newcastle are in the market for a young centre-back to partner Botman at the back for the long-term, but you’d do well to find someone of a higher quality than Schar right now.
Even if they do secure a young and exciting player for the future, it will be so important to keep the experienced defender in the squad as a good backup option and to help develop the players around him.
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