Steve McClaren has instructed Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic that he must ‘play smart’ in order to make a positive impact against Sunderland on Sunday.
The 21-year-old only arrived on Tyneside in the summer, for an undisclosed fee from RSC Anderlecht, and has already made quite an impact in England.
Just seconds into his Premier League debut, Mitrovic picked up a booking for clattering into Southampton’s Matthew Targett. The following week, he was booked a minute into his second appearance for reacting to Ben Davies’ late challenge. Then, on his fifth appearance for the Magpies, Aleksandar picked up a controversial red card for a late challenge on Francis Coquelin.
Despite picking up three cards in his first four Premier League appearances, Mitrovic has returned from suspension better than ever. The coaching team on Tyneside have clearly helped the Serbian forward control his anger and funnel it into something more productive.
Steve McClaren has acknowledged Mitrovic’s significant turnaround and says he is confident he’ll keep his cool in Sunday’s Wear-Tyne derby, which is like to be a very heated affair.
McClaren, as quoted by The Mirror, said: “He has played smart. I would say he has been playing smart and that is what we have been telling him.
We knew there was a bit of the devil to be perfectly honest and that has added to our team game. We need that but we need control and that is the key on Sunday.
“You can play smart and be ineffective but play on the line and play smart.
“He got sent off against Arsenal and could have been against Southampton and they were not derbies but that was a willingness to win and playing on the edge. On that line.
“That is what you have got to do in every game not just say ‘oh, we will choose a derby game and do it now.'”
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