Newcastle United star makes training ground admission after contract decision and Eddie Howe call
.jpg?width=96&crop=1:1,smart)
Emil Krafth has spoken about his new role at Newcastle United after extending his stay at St James’ Park.
Krafth signed a new one-year extension to his current Newcastle United contract last month - one that will extend his stay on Tyneside into his seventh full season with the club. After joining in August 2019, Krafth was not immediately a regular starter and has often played as back-up during his time at the club.
However, under Eddie Howe, he has become a very important squad member, with his versatility meaning he can cover injuries across the backline - often putting in very reliable performances in whichever role he is selected in. Krafth’s most recent appearances in the first-team have seen him play in the middle of defence as a centre-back - a unique role which the Swedish international has admitted was alien to him before being deployed there by Howe.
Speaking to the club ahead of Sunday’s clash against Brighton, Krafth said: “Now I’m fit and ready to be back playing again, of course as a player you want to play as much as possible. But it’s also about taking the opportunities you’re given, and I think I have done that quite well.
“I played at the beginning of the season, then I was on the bench and then I got my collarbone injury. I’ve been out for basically 12 weeks, but I think when I got the chance I took it, and I’ve been playing really well.
“And also the role I’m playing now, like more of a centre half - I think I’ve got more used to it now because of playing there a lot more. In the beginning it was very, very new to me because all my life I’ve been playing as a right back. But I think now I’ve been playing it for quite a long time, so I could play right back or centre half. I just like playing as much as possible, which I think is the same for every player in the dressing room.”
With Sven Botman edging closer to a return, Dan Burn and Fabian Schar still fit and Jamaal Lascelles potentially set to play again before the end of the campaign, Krafth may have to be patient again for minutes on the pitch. Whilst this may be frustrating for the 30-year-old, he has revealed that learning from his teammates on the training ground has dramatically helped his development as a centre-back.
“It’s a lot of basics as a centre half that you have to learn,” Krafth continued. “But also, I watched how centre halves play in this team and also in different teams, how they position themselves on the pitch and everything but then I think it’s also just a question of how much you practice. In training I’ve been playing both centre half and right back, so the more you play and the more you train, the more you will get used to it as well.
“I would say now I’m quite comfortable in it, whereas before when I started I was a bit less sure - ‘should I go back there? Should I step back?’ And all these types of things. But I think the more you play, the more you learn.”