Fabian Schar looked set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines when he was stretchered off the pitch in Newcastle United’s 3-2 win over Southampton in the Premier League and he was a major doubt for the European Championships this summer but the Swiss international is ahead of schedule in his bid to return and made his return to the pitch in today’s under 23s game against Crystal Palace.
The 29-year old was in the starting 11 as the young magpies saw off Palace 2-0 with Adam Wilson and Kyle Crossley supplying the goals.
Schar’s injury came at a terrible time as he had just started to find some of the fine form that he showcased in his first season with the club and then you add the upcoming Euros into the mix and it was a potential disaster for him.
In addition, United have reverted to the back three/five system of late, which is perfect to get the best out of Schar, who has sometimes found himself exposed when accompanied by just one other central defender.
The three allows Schar to drift into midfield with the ball a bit more and show off his dribbling abilities which we have seen on just a few occasions with his solo run goal against Cardiff City back in his first season being the best example.
Also, Schar’s passing range is far better than any of the current back three’s and this is a weapon United can use in getting them up the pitch quicker.
Bruce has been rewarded with his cautious approach in brining back Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson and with survival all but in the bag, I see no reason why he will go about this one any differently but nonetheless it is great to see Schar get some minutes in the tank and hopefully it won’t be too long until he is back in the heart of our defence.