Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has singled out Matt Ritchie for praise, suggesting that the Scottish winger exemplifies the kind of attitude and work ethic he wants from his side.
The 29-year-old has been deployed as a left wing-back to good effect in recent weeks, and was on hand to provide an assist for Salomon Rondon in the 1-1 draw with Watford on Saturday.
Speaking after the match, Benitez was eager to identify the wide man as a shining example of the mantra he is trying to distill into the Toon Army.
As quoted in the Chronicle, he said: “Everybody has to make a contribution. The crosses from Ritchie, for sure he is very good at doing that, but the main thing for us is not just the crosses, it’s also the hard work they were doing for each other.
“Matt is a worker. He has enough quality to make these kind of deliveries and assists, and he can also score goals.
“But especially he is someone that is always committed and is always working really hard in every training session and during the games.
“I’m sure that he will be a better player every single week because he is listening, and he is trying to understand what is going on.
“He is improving and, because he really likes football and to win, and is competitive, he keeps getting better.
“We have to be convinced, and the players are convinced, that the only way we will succeed is that we have to keep working – and Ritchie is one of the examples of that.
“Absolutely, 100 per cent [he shows the kind of character I want to see from every player]. We want winners and competitive people, and he’s one of them.”
OPINION
Matt Ritchie’s conversion into a left wing-back is one of the more unusual subplots of Newcastle United’s battle to avoid the drop, but could be one that greatly helps their cause. It’s not secret that the Magpies are short in the full-back positions, and that Benitez is keen to recruit reinforcements in January. The injury to Paul Dummett earlier in the season emphasised the need to bring in a specialist who can cover in that area, but Ritchie provides an interesting alternative. His natural propensity for getting forward and his ability to deliver accurate and pacy crosses mean that when he employed as a left-back, he also represents an extra attacker when the Magpies do push on. With a target man of Salmon Rondon’s stature in the box, a quality provider out on the flank could be the key to unlocking a lot of the Toon Army’s goal scoring potential, and with Ritchie playing in a deeper role, he is given the opportunity to get balls into his colleague earlier and from better angles.