Eddie Howe has built a young and exciting squad at Newcastle United that is only going to get better, but it is one of the more experienced players who has blown Micah Richards away this week.
Newcastle beat Crystal Palace 4-0 on Saturday, and once again it was a wonderous performance from Kieran Trippier.
The 33-year-old was absolutely exceptional, taking his assist tally to seven after setting up Jacob Murphy for the Magpies’ opener – even if it was a bit of a fluke from the Toon winger.
Trippier is on fire in attack, while he continues to dominate his opponents in defence too. He was so solid on Saturday, dealing with Crystal Palace’s physicality to ensure Newcastle got another clean sheet.
By the 69th minute, Newcastle were in so much control that Eddie Howe was able to take Trippier off and give him a rest, which was excellent to see ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund.
The England international will hope to continue his rich vein of form against the Bundesliga side, and pundit Micah Richards has now explained why he thinks the £12million man is so underrated.
Micah Richards blown away by ‘incredible’ Newcastle defender
Richards has been speaking about Trippier on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, and looked back at when they were teammates at Manchester City.
“I remember in training he was up against Adebayor and you know Adebayor always used to go to the left side and then hold it up and do some skills and what not,” he said.
“And every time, Adebayor got the ball he absolutely destroyed Trippier in a one on one situation. The manager at the time, I think it was Mancini. But what everyone didn’t know was the part of his game which was the best was going forward. So they were exploiting his weaknesses but not seeing his strengths.
“When he was allowed to go to Burnley I remember all the lads saying this is the biggest mistake ever. Send him out on loan for a couple of seasons and when he fills out a bit – he is only small now, you can imagine back then – the technique that he had, the timing of his runs, the passing, the commitment he showed. I was like he is going to be a top player.
“So he goes to Burnley, gets record assists in the Championship, then he goes to Spurs and does amazing at Spurs, then he goes to Atletico Madrid and wins the league over there, comes back and does what he does for England.
“I just think he’s the most underrated full-back because of the quality that we have with Walker and Trent and Reece James. But if you need someone who is going to be consistent – this is the best football I think I have ever seen him play and he’s two years younger than me, he’s 33. It’s just incredible.”
Manchester City did not realise Kieran Trippier’s potential
When Man City sold Trippier in 2012, they had no idea what type of player he would develop into. He has gone on to have an excellent career, and is now playing his best football ever at 33.
The defender has been a transformative signing for Newcastle, and continues to get better despite his age. He is enjoying a sensational season so far, looking even better than last year when he was the club’s best player.
Richards is adamant that Man City should not have sold Trippier back in the day, and he has gone on to prove that he could be the elite level player they were looking for.
But that was a long time ago, and Trippier has developed into the player he is today because of his experiences with Burnley, Tottenham and Atletico Madrid.
Now he is with Newcastle, and is well on his way to being recognised as a Toon legend long after his playing days are over.
Richards might think Trippier is underrated, but every single Newcastle United fan knows just how good he is.
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