Alan Shearer has issued glowing praise for Newcastle United midfielder Isaac Hayden following the 25-year-old’s recent performances filling in at the heart of defence amid an injury crisis for the Magpies.
Hayden has been one of the Magpies’ most consistent performers throughout an up-and-down season so far for the club. The midfielder has often been the pick of the bunch even when Steve Bruce’s side were on a dismal run of form a few weeks ago. He has averaged two tackles, 2.2 clearances and 1.8 interceptions per game, as well as maintaining an 81% passing accuracy and winning up to 5.5 duels per 90 minutes in the league (Sofascore).
However, against Southampton on Saturday, Hayden was once again required to deputise in a centre-back role as he has done on other occasions this season. That move was enforced due to injuries to both Jamal Lascelles and Federico Fernandez and the situation has worsened with Fabian Schar’s serious injury. Despite the disruption, the versatile 25-year-old delivered another strong performance showing he can more than play that role.
In revealing his latest Premier League Team of the Week, Shearer reserved a special mention for Hayden and hailed the impact he made despite playing out of position in the 3-2 win against Southampton.
The Geordie legend said of the 25-year-old: “The midfielder is doing a superb job filling in in an unfamiliar role at centre-half.”
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It is hard not to agree with Shearer’s praise of Hayden here and the midfielder has shown his tactical versatility and a brilliant attitude when asked to play as a centre-back this season. Against Southampton, he made six clearances and one interception and won every aerial duel he contested (Sofascore).
Bruce’s problems would be enormous right now if the midfielder had not shown such qualities and versatility, and with Schar likely to be ruled out for the majority of the campaign, the manager will be ever more reliant on Hayden to keep fit and keep delivering strong performances.
The 25-year-old might have to get used to playing in a defensive role for the next few weeks until injuries begin to clear up. That means his presence will be missed in the middle of the park, but it shows that he is arguably the most important member of the squad at the moment.
