Alan Shearer has heaped praise on Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
The Slovakian stopper picked up the North East Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year award last night after an impressive start to life on Tyneside, and club legend Shearer has backed him to continue proving his worth.
Speaking to Sky Sports, as quoted in the Chronicle, he said: “He’s had a tough time in the last couple of games with the mistake at Wolves and the mistake at Wembley but in general I think he’s been a fantastic buy, when you look at the fees that have been paid for some players.
“His handling, for the most part, has been superb. If he can get over the mistakes that have happened in the last few games then great but in the main I think he’s been a superb buy.
“He seems to be a very good character, not afraid to make a couple of mistakes – as all good players do. He’ll learn from those mistakes.”
OPINION
Dubravka has had a pretty tough time of things of late following a couple of woeful and costly mistakes, but this award might be just what he needs to get himself back on track. It’s hard to argue that it’s not fully deserved, and the Slovakian has been, for the most part, exemplary since he signed for the Toon Army. There isn’t a footballer anywhere who doesn’t make mistakes, but the emphasis on those errors is magnified tenfold when they happen to a goalkeeper, and especially one who is playing for a side in a position as precarious as Newcastle United’s. Dubravka will bounce back, undoubtedly, and the sooner he can put his recent issues behind him, the sooner he can get back to the kind of form that has seen him earn such high praise from this in the know.
