Bruce admits he had not seen Atsu play – could he be a key player?

Newcastle manager Steve Bruce has admitted that he had not seen Christian Atsu play before the clash with Spurs.

Atsu came off the bench and provided a telling contribution as Joelinton latched onto his pass before scoring the winner in North London.

Speaking to The Chronicle, Bruce said this:

I had hardly seen him in training until the last couple of days of last week. It reminded me of the limited time I have been here – weeks! It’s just five weeks and amidst some of the nonsense it is easy to forget. I hadn’t seen Christian play so it’s good to see him.

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Could Atsu be a key player for Newcastle this season?

For sure. With Allan Saint-Maximin out for around three weeks, Atsu could be given the chance to stake a claim for his place in the starting XI and continue to impress after his excellent showing against Spurs.

Atsu is quick and direct with the ball, which means that he offers a different threat for Newcastle going forward – with the club lacking wide options in the squad.

Steve Bruce will be hoping that he can forge a good relationship with Miguel Almiron and Joelinton and score the goals needed to avoid relegation from the Premier League.