‘Garth Bale type player’ – Theo Walcott gushes over 22y/o Newcastle ace who’s excelled under Howe

Newcastle United have had a mixed start to the season under Eddie Howe.

The Magpies are sitting in 10th place in the Premier League after winning five and losing four of their 12 matches.

Newcastle’s most recent fixture saw them losing 2-0 at St James’ Park to West Ham United.

However, it is not all doom and gloom after the home defeat, as the Tyneside club still have a good chance of securing a European finish this campaign.

There were also some encouraging performances in Monday’s game, especially Tino Livramento who produced a solid display in defence.

The England international has been a key player under Howe this campaign, featuring in all 12 Premier League matches.

Former Arsenal star Theo Walcott is a huge admirer of Livramento, as he raved about the player recently on Sky Sports.

Walcott praised the full-back’s attitude, and also called him “Gareth Bale type player”.

He said: “It makes me smile when I see this guy playing, because his attitude was spot on. There were two particular players – Lavia and Livramento.  And I knew they would, because they have that confidence and that work ethic and want to learn from other players around you as well. Took on a lot of knowledge, but he went through one of the biggest injuries you can in football in the ACL and to do that on your own as well. Yes, you have the staff but that’s a difficult moment for any player, particularly a young player to come out of, and he’s excelled. And I wouldn’t want to go up against him because physically I would compare him to a Gareth Bale type player”.

One of the biggest positives for Newcastle this season has been the excellent development of Tino Livramento.

The 22-year-old has now established himself as a key member of Eddie Howe’s first-team.

He has been delivering excellent performances consistently this campaign.

The right-back has been averaging 1.5 tackles, 4.8 ball recoveries, 1.9 clearances and 0.8 interceptions per game in the English top-flight.

Last night against West Ham, Livramento had 76 touches and completed 40 of his 45 passes.

He won 100% of his aerial duels, registered two key passes and completed four of his six crosses.

Stats from Sofascore