Kieran Trippier remains a key part of Newcastle United’s dressing room and the 34-year-old showed his continued leadership with an action that didn’t go unnoticed in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Leicester City.
Trippier was brought off the bench in Newcastle’s thrashing of the Foxes, replacing Tino Livramento midway through the second half. As he entered the field, team captain Bruno Guimaraes, who was also making way, took the armband off and attempted to hand it to the right-back.
However, Trippier rejected the gesture, instead pointing to fellow defender and member of Eddie Howe‘s ‘leadership group’ Dan Burn. The Brazilian admittedly looked surprise at the snub before he did indeed hand the captaincy duties to the centre-back.
Trippier had initially fought his way back into Newcastle‘s starting XI earlier this season, relegating Livramento to the bench for three Premier League ties before a hamstring issue left him frustrated on the sidelines. The former Tottenham defender has been restricted to substitute appearances of late, despite calls for him to be introduced from the outset as his side struggled for consistency.
With January approaching, speculation naturally continues over a potential move away from Tyneside. This, after Howe fought hard to keep Trippier at Newcastle as a number of clubs registered their interest back in the summer.
“You can’t underestimate what Kieran gives you,” said the Newcastle boss earlier this season. “A lot has been said about the substitutes at half-time (against Wolves), and they all had a positive impact on the game, but when Kieran came on, you could just feel his quality, whether that was his quality on the ball or his set-play delivery.
“Whatever aspect of his game transfers to the team, it makes a positive difference. We felt stronger when he came onto the field, certainly when we had the ball. I’m delighted with him. He looks fitter, and mentally, I think he’s in a good place. He’s got such an important part to play for us this season.”
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