By Akin Odejayi
April 24 2004

Newcastle United boss Sir Bobby Robson says he feels justified his decision not to allow Hugo Viana to join former club Sporting Lisbon on loan in January until the end of the season.

Newcastle United boss Sir Bobby Robson says he feels justified his decision not to allow Hugo Viana to join former club Sporting Lisbon on loan in January until the end of the season.

Hugo was desperate to play regular first team football and was becoming frustrated with his lack of oppotunities at Newcastle. In a bid to force his way back into the Portugal squad and put himself in the reckoning for next summer's European championships on home soil, Viana begged Robson to let him leave.

However the 71-year-old Magpies boss stuck to his guns and refused to loan out his £8.5million signing, insisting he would be needed at some stage in the season.

That time came during Thursday's UEFA Cup semi-final first-leg with Marseille. With the Newcastle squad decimated by injuries, the 21-year-old midfielder was called upon and acquitted himself to his manager's satisfaction.

"Viana has shown he can produce the goods, but he has not been given the opportunity," said Robson.

"He came in and didn't let us down. He had a nervous start, a timid start, but he has not played for months. He played very well, he dug in.

"Imagine if I had listened to everybody who was telling me, 'Let the boy go, he needs to play for Portugal this summer.' Where would I have been without Hugo Viana in midfield on Thursday night?

"I was right not to let the boy go. I paid a lot of money for him. He stays here and competes here.

"I used to say to him, 'Hugo, I don't care if you don't play until the last match of the season and we get three points for that. That will be my salvation. That's all I required'."

Hugo Viana seems settled now and his hard work hasnt gone unnoticed as been included in Portugals squad to face Sweden on wednesday