Newcastle United defender Fabian Schar has revealed he was unsure as to why Steve Bruce stopped playing him towards the end of his tenure.
The central defender is looking forward to a fresh start at the club following the appointment of Eddie Howe.
Schar hasn’t played for Newcastle since the Southampton game back in August.
That was one of only two appearances so far this term.
Bruce by and large stuck with a back three of Emil Krafth, Jamaal Lascelles and Ciaran Clark.
Some fans were dumbfounded by Schar’s lack of minutes, and the player doesn’t really know why the previous manager kept overlooking him.
He told NUFC TV: “I didn’t play in a lot of games the last few months. For whatever reason.
“It’s difficult, you try to show the manager you want to be in the team when the team is not doing too good, we have a difficult start.
“Sometimes I was surprised not to be in the first 11.
“That was a difficult time, this is a new chapter, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
It remains to be seen if Schar will form part of Howe’s first-ever starting XI against Brentford on Saturday.
Given the alarming rate at which Newcastle have been conceding goals, he surely needs to be considered.
Howe must turn to Schar against Brentford
Bruce continually overlooking Schar was bizarre, and it’s one of the first things Howe should be looking to change.
The £3 million signing deserves to start over Krafth, Lascelles and Clark.
He and Federico Fernandez are the best centre-backs Newcastle have, but Schar alone is the best ball-playing defender at St. James’.
It is expected Newcastle will try to become more possession-based with Howe at the helm.
Callum Wilson has said in a recent interview that fans should expect to see a change in style.
If Newcastle are going to have more of the ball, then the best ball-players need to be on the pitch.
Schar is the ideal candidate to get things started from the back.
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