Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has heaped praise on defender Paul Dummett after his second half performance against Everton on Saturday.
The Welsh international replaced injured captain Jamaal Lascelles at half time and went on to play a big part in the Magpies’ rousing comeback win after the break.
Benitez was hugely impressed with him: “I said the other day that he’s someone that you can trust,” he told The Chronicle. “He can give you always a seven, sometimes an eight, sometimes a six, but always he is around there.
“It’s difficult for him to give you a 10, but it’s difficult for him to give you a one. When you have someone that you can trust as a manager, if you put him on the pitch, you know exactly what you can expect from him, and that he can manage the situation in a line of five and after in a line of four.”
OPINION
Benitez gets this one exactly right. Dummett isn’t a spectacular player, he’s not a talismanic talent, but he is as dependable as it gets and he’s someone who is very important to this Newcastle team. As his manager said, he’s someone who can be plugged into different systems and alternative positions without his performance level dipping significantly. He is nominally a left back, but he filled in at centre half on Saturday and looked fantastic doing it. Obviously most of the action was down the other end of the pitch in the second half at St James’ Park, but whenever Everton threatened the Magpies defence Dummett and his teammates held firm. The 27-year-old is a proven Premier Legaue performer now and he’s in his peak years. He may not be the flashiest of names, but he’s a manager’s dream and that’s what shines through in Benitez’s words here.