Eddie Howe hailed the work of Malick Thiaw in central defence for Newcastle United.
The summer signing switched allegiances from AC Milan, but he had to wait his turn to break into one of the best defences in the Premier League. However, he has not looked back since September.
“He had to be a little bit patient at the start. Dan Burn and Fabian Schar started the season well in the center half positions and he had a period where he had the opportunity to watch and see the Premier League and see the speed of the Premier League, which I always think is helpful.
“Those early games against Aston Villa and Liverpool were probably the best example you can get of the Premier League bite. And as a center half in particular, you can't come on cold. So, I think they were useful experiences for him. And then he trained really well. I think that's always the big thing for me.
“If you're training well behind the scenes and not playing, you know that when that opportunity comes, you can grab it. He kept himself mentally fresh, alert, and ready. And then when he's played, I think he's just been himself. And he's an outstanding talent. He's got a little bit of everything in his game. And I've been really pleased with how he started here.
“I was sort of fearful through the summer because there wasn't a long list of players that we felt were good enough to come in and have the impact that Malick has. And of course, he's he was playing at a top club as well.
“So whether he was ever going to be available was unclear. And then if he was available, was there going to be someone else that would be able to get him ahead of us? So thankfully that wasn't the case and we were able to um secure a signature. I think he was an important signing for us.”
