'An unassuming, brilliant professional': Eddie Howe heaps high praise on 'underrated' Newcastle United man

Newcastle United have several players in the squad capable of grabbing the headlines with their ability but there are also plenty of players who quite often escape the attention they deserve.

While you'd expect to see plenty of praise in the media for the likes of Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton or Sandro Tonali for doing something that wins Newcastle a match, there are those who get on with their jobs quietly and are often even underappreciated.

Dan Burn will tend to get noticed when he has a bad game or his lack of pace gets exposed, but he rarely gets the plaudits he deserves when he has a good game.

The same can definitely be said of Sean Longstaff and even Jacob Murphy, but there's a player that we suspect rival fans couldn't even name if they were shown a photo who has been a stalwart under Eddie Howe when called upon.

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Emil Krafth was outstanding on Wednesday night against Chelsea

We are talking, of course, about Emil 'Krafu' Krafth. The Swedish international was outstanding on Wednesday night and would have had every right to feel aggrieved at losing his place in the team for Saturday's game against Arsenal - however, Tino Livramento was on fire in that game so it all worked out well.

Krafth is not as flashy as Kieran Trippier or Tino Livramento and isn't usually known for his attacking prowess, however a gut busting run on Wednesday night that led to Will Osula hitting the post almost changed that.

Eddie Howe doesn't need reminding about how good Emil Krafth is as the 30-year-old has been fantastic for the Newcastle gaffer since he arrived.

Eddie Howe says he and his staff love Emil Krafth

Indeed, in speaking to The Shields Gazette, Howe spoke of just how much he and his staff love Emil.

“Krafu maybe originated from some of our players in the squad and maybe one of the coaches as well adopted many nicknames for Krafty.

“He’s such an unassuming, brilliant professional, very hard working and so dependable. When you meet him, you see that solid character and also a very, very good player. Probably very underrated by the outside world.

“Internally we love him, we all see his qualities. He can play multiple positions for us and this year he’s been brilliant at centre-half and at full-back. I always say it’s really important to have players like that.”