Newcastle United's 'most experienced player' reveals Manchester City and Liverpool ambition

The 33-year-old still has three years remaining on his current deal at St James’s Park having originally joined The Magpies on loan in January 2018.

And with the club now under ambitious new ownership, the future is looking bright on Tyneside.

Dubravka has played a key role in keeping Newcastle in the Premier League over the past five seasons but, like any player, he has ambitions to improve and compete at the very top.

"I'm trying to be in good shape, that's the first thing,” he said. “You need to be healthy. I'm the most experienced player in the dressing room at the moment, but it doesn't mean that I can just chill and do nothing.

"I'm a player who likes to work hard. I'm 33 now, and I still think that I have more years ahead of me, and hopefully here.”

Although Newcastle have enjoyed a very strong 2022 so far to climb out of relegation danger and into the top half of the Premier League, it is clear they still have a long way to go to reach the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City.

Last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat against The Reds at St James’s Park displayed the gulf in class between the sides despite the narrow scoreline.

Next up, Newcastle will make the trip to the Etihad Stadium to face league leaders Man City on Sunday (4:30pm kick-off).

"I'm experienced now but I still want to be better,” Dubravka said in the matchday programme. “I'm still working on my personal ambitions, personal improvements, so you have to do it every day.

"When you watch the Champions League and European competitions, football has changed a lot the last couple of years. Liverpool and Manchester City are great examples – short passing, trying to build it up, not just kicking the ball away.

“We are trying to get there, trying to see where we can improve, and you can see a few bits there already.

"For me personally, I'm trying to work with my feet because I think there's always room to be better.”

A message from the Football Clubs Editor

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Newcastle United coverage 365 days a year.

This depth of coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to, please consider taking out a subscription; sign up here.

Your support is much appreciated. Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor