Aleksandar Mitrovic has insisted that there will be no repeats of the disciplinary problems that have marred the start of his Newcastle United career and revealed the extent to which Steve McClaren, the club’s under-fire head coach, is helping to curb his temper.
The Serbia striker was booked after only 11 seconds of his debut on the opening day of the season against Southampton and followed that up by picking up another yellow card less than three minutes after emerging as a substitute against Swansea the next week. His fourth appearance for the club after his £13 million move from Anderlecht brought a red card against Arsenal.
The 21-year-old believes that all three were the product of overexuberance and is adamant that he can control his emotions. He is grateful, though, for McClaren’s understanding: the head coach — one of the favourites to be the next Barclays Premier League manager to part with his club — has spoken to his controversial forward on a daily basis about his indiscipline, even texting him to remind him to “stay calm” before Serbia’s tense Euro 2016 qualifier in Albania last week.
“He sent me a message before that game,” Mitrovic said. “He said to play good football, that he hoped I scored and to stay calm. I sent him one back saying thank you. I speak to him a lot, really. I speak to him almost every day. He [tells me he] believes in me and that is really important.
“I had a big problem in the first few games. I think I wanted to show everything in just one game. I had to show everyone that I would give everything. I played more with my emotions than with my head.”
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Mitrovic is confident that his new side — yet to win a game in the league — will turn their form around.
McClaren is certainly hoping that is the case. Two of the clubs above Newcastle have dispensed with their managers, but McClaren is not fearful of dismissal, nor will he walk away.
“Absolutely not,” he said. McClaren is sure that he will be given time to turn results around on Tyneside, citing the patience shown to Alan Pardew and John Carver, his predecessors, as a big factor in his decision to join the club.
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“That’s one of the reasons I came here,” McClaren said. “It’s the same at every football club: if you’re together and they know you’re doing the job and you’re doing the right things and the players are responding, then wherever you are, they’ll say, ‘You know what, we’re on the right lines’. You don’t have loyalty if people are thinking, ‘This ain’t going to get any better’.
“As long as we continue making progress, then we keep going.”