Newcastle United summer signing makes ‘lucky’ Matthias Jaissle claim - this speaks volumes
Newcastle United goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek has reflected on his start to life in the Premier League under Matthias Jaissle.
Lukas Hornicek believes Newcastle United are ‘lucky’ to have Matthias Jaissle after seeing the work that goes on behind the scenes at the club.
Hornicek’s £26million summer transfer from Braga coincided with Jaissle’s arrival as head coach over the summer, as the pair both joined up with the club in La Manga, Spain during pre-season.
The 24-year-old Czechia international has been a mainstay in United’s starting line-up in the Premier League this season, replacing Nick Pope as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper.
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Although Hornicek admits he is still getting used to the extra challenges of English football, he is starting to settle into his new surroundings.
Speaking after his player of the match display at Fulham, Hornicek said about the Premier League: “It's the best league in the world.
“You can see that everybody's much stronger, much faster. The game is more fluent, much faster also. You need to do your best to make yourself used to that, which I hope I've done well.”
NUFC ‘lucky’ to have Matthias Jaissle
Hornicek’s ball-playing and shot-stopping ability as a goalkeeper made him a top target for Newcastle over the summer. And he is adapting to Jaissle’s playing style as the new head coach also gets used to Premier League football.
“In Braga, we played with the four back, now we play with three in the build-up, so it's a bit different,” he added.
“In the end, if you want to play football, you want to be dominant on the ball and in transition. Speaking with Matthias, he's been always positive because he's a great coach and we are lucky to have him.”
Hornicek is currently away with the Czechia national team but will return to Newcastle for Arsenal’s visit to St James’ Park following the international break on November 21 (5:30pm kick-off).