Key Newcastle player and fan favourite Martin Dubravka has told the club website how confident he is in his potential replacement after sustaining a knee injury.
This injury is certainly going to felt hard by the club considering that he hasn’t missed a league game since February 2018, but hopefully, the club’s eight-point buffer on the relegation zone is not enough to make the team and supporters worry too much.
The Slovakian international managed to pick up the knee injury whilst playing during his team’s 1-0 victory over Southampton on the weekend at St. Mary’s. At around 60 minutes it was clear there was some discomfort, but the ‘keeper managed to stay on regardless and keep a vital clean sheet for his side.
He is a huge fan favourite at the club for his performance over the past few seasons, and there has been a lot of fan reaction which suggests a large amount of anxiety about the games he will miss.
Nevertheless, Dubravka has come out and told the club website that he is ‘confident’ that either Rob Elliot or Karl Darlow will perform well when replacing him.
Who should Bruce call on to cover for Dubravka?
Darlow
Elliot
He said: “Obviously I’m not happy, but that’s part of football.
“Sometimes you get injured and you can’t do much. I’m trying to stay positive and calm, and trying to get ready as soon as possible, but hopefully I can be back soon.
“I was trying to be ready for every game, even if I had small injuries before with my back or with whatever.
“The people who know me know I want to play every time, even if I’m not 100 per cent.
“Obviously this is bigger than that, so I can’t play this (Sheffield United) game, but I’m quite confident that my teammates, whether it’s Karl or Rob, will definitely play very well. Now I’m going to support them from the stands.
“They show it on the pitch – Karl has shown it in the cup games – so I’m definitely confident and comfortable with whichever of the keepers will be in goal. I’m going to support them because they provide fantastic support for me as well.
“It means a lot because even Karl came to me the next day and asked how it was. You don’t have that connection always, and I’ve said many times, I’m very grateful for that. Obviously this is a chance for them now but it’s good because we are still not safe and I’m quite sure that they will show their ability and show their levels.”
Saturday’s game against Sheffield United will see Martin Dubravka’s run of 79 games come to an end, proving why fans might be a bit concerned to not see him between the sticks, but at least the player is instilling confidence into his back-ups.
Karl Darlow is the obvious replacement for Dubravka considering that he has played in every cup game this season, recording five games in total, conceding just six goals and having one clean sheet.
He will have to be at his best though, as not only are they playing a top side in Sheffield United, but the way the Magpies set up means that he is naturally going to be on the receiving end of a lot of shots.
This is proven by the way in which Dubravka has had to make more saves than any other goalkeeper this season.
Either way, it’s a good opportunity for whoever is filling in his shoes to impress, let’s just hope it doesn’t impact the result.