Alan Pardew once told Paul Dummet that he would never be good enough to play for Newcastle United – yet here we are seven years later and Dummett is still on Tyneside while Pardew is nowhere to be seen.
The road has not been easy for the Geordie defender who has had to put up with a lot of abuse from some of his own fans.
However, there is a reason that every manager since Pardew has used Dummett in their starting XI.
A lot of Dummett’s growth has to be put down to Rafael Benitez who identified the 27-year-old as a player he could rely on.
He believed that Dummett was a 7/10 player and for that reason, he became essential to Newcastle under Benitez.
Originally a left-back Benitez moved him to centre-back to take advantage of Dummett’s best attributes – his positional sense, tackling and intercepting.
Steve Bruce has also followed in Benitez’s steps and is playing Dummett as the left-sided centre-back in his five-man defence.
The 27-year-old was once hated by a section of Toon fans but has quickly become a fans’-favourite because of his attitude and love for the club.
The pinnacle of Dummett’s recent resurgence was his display in the Toon’s 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Dummett was deservedly awarded Man of the Match after the game and was one of the last off the pitch as he applauded the travelling away fans.
In the space of seven years, Dummet has gone from having no chance of playing for Newcastle to one of their most important players and a quality Premier League defender.
Dummett’s resurgence shows what can happen with proper coaching and the commitment to improve your own game – he is an example to all aspiring footballers.