Robert is given Sir Bobby approval


French Flyer

By Peter Donnelly
September 13 2002

Sir Bobby Robson has paid tribute to Laurent Robert for his performances since he arrived to England, saying he is as big a talent as Blackburn's Damien Duff and is now getting used to Newcastle's system. Robson has claimed that Robert has done better than expected under the circumstances and is looking foward to Robert getting even better.

"Last summer we saw a side of Laurent that not many people did," said Robson.

"As far as I'm concerned, he's on the same level as Damien Duff, Ryan Giggs and Harry Kewell.

"These days he knows that if he loses the ball he must win it back. He has learned to be more of a team player and just look at the way he tackled back against Danny Mills on Wednesday.

"He accepts his role in our system. When you consider he came here without being able to speak a word of English and without knowing anything about our game, I think we have got a lot more out of him so far than we could have expected."

Robert will be a much needed player for the Magpies this season with the Champions League now on the horizon.

Bookmark or share this story with: