Newcastle United boss says Sol Campbell is ready to play in Premier League
Newcastle United Chris Hughton has revealed that he has no fears over naming defender Sol Campbell in his side in the English Premier League.
The 36-year-old had been struggling for fitness after he began pre-season training much later than some of his team-mates. So far, his contribution has mostly been limited to substitute appearances.
However, Hughton believes that his showing in the League Cup win over Chelsea as well as his performance after coming on as a substitute in the EPL loss at Manchester City meant that Campbell was now ready to play a more prominent role for the St James’
Park outfit.
'Very solid player'
He told Sky Sports News that: “Sol has shown in the games he has played, Chelsea away and coming on at Manchester City, that he is a very solid character and a very solid player. There are not too many frills about Sol, he just does the job efficiently and
in the manner in which he is used to doing it, so I have never had any fears about him."
However, if Campbell is to play a bigger role in first-team affairs, he will have to work hard to displace the current first-choice pairing of Mike Williamson and Fabricio Coloccini, who have been performing well in the heart of defence.
Campbell’s storied career — which has seen him win every domestic title with Arsenal and win 73 caps for his country — has earned him the respect of the rest of the players at Newcastle and Hughton believes that experience has helped Campbell become a dressing-room
leader.
He said that: “He's an experienced player and he is vocal enough. You can gain that respect by what you say and by your presence, and the players are aware what a fabulous player he has been and is, so he has been a good influence."
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