Lascelles raves over on-field actions of Newcastle hero after thanking axed star
Newcastle United defender and captain has been left raving over the performance of Martin Dubravka after his debut but thanked Karl Darlow for his efforts earlier in the season.
The former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper, who has been a regular in the starting XI with 12 appearances across all competitions, found himself dropped to the bench in favour of the Slovakian international for the clash against Manchester United on Sunday.
He than had to watch the 29-year-old, who is at the club on a season long loan deal from Sparta Prague after agreeing to a move on January’s deadline day, put in an outstanding display on his first outing for the Magpies and was a hero on the way to a 1-0 victory, secured by Matt Ritchie’s second half strike.
Now Lascelles, who has lined up with three different goalkeepers behind him this season, has said how impressed he was by the on-field actions of Dubravka, and made sure to credit Darlow for all he has done up to this point.
He told the Chronicle: “Our goalkeeper kept us in it from the start.
“Darlow has been fantastic for us in the last couple of games and he has kept us in it and got points.
“The manager has put in a new goalkeeper and in all fairness he was ready.
“Martin was talking his way through the game and he was a confident keeper. It’s a great way for him to make his debut.
“The rest of us can’t thank him enough for the saves that he made.”
Dubravka, Lascelles and the rest of the Newcastle squad will have two weeks to relish in their victory over the side sitting second in the Premier League table, with their next outing coming on the 24th February as they travel to the south coast to take on Bournemouth.
In other Newcastle United news, Benitez has delivered an emphatic response to allegations made towards him.