Steve Bruce has paid tribute to Newcastle United winger Matt Ritchie and revealed that he overcame a slight knock to play today.
The Magpies kicked their season back off with a bang this afternoon as Bruce’s side thumped Sheffield United 3-0 at St James’s Park.
Ritchie, who joined Newcastle in 2016, made the game relatively safe on 69 minutes by adding to Allen Saint-Maximin’s opener, before Joelinton put the result beyond doubt nine minutes later.
Bruce didn’t make a substitute until 10 minutes left, indicating that the United players are all relatively fit despite this being their first competitive game for 106 days.
Ritchie has been a big player during Bruce’s year-long reign in the North-East, and here’s what his manager said about the Scotland international today.
Bruce told Newcastle’s website: “He’s trained for the last two or three days. He’s had a slight strain but trained magnificent for the past two or three weeks so it was all about him really.
“Thankfully he was right and if there’s a better pro around than Matt Ritchie I’ve yet to see him. He forces his way into your team sheet because of his attitude.”
Newcastle are now 11 points clear of the relegation zone in the Premier League table.
In fact, they’re 12th and only two points behind 10th-placed Arsenal.
If Bruce could steer them to a top-10 finish then it’d be a wonderful achievement and the club’s prospective new owners might just consider keeping him on, if and when the takeover goes ahead.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
