Aleksandar Mitrovic's aggression is comparable to Diego Costa's and if it was taken away the Newcastle United striker would lose "50 per cent of his game", believes Steve McClaren. The £13 million summer signing from Anderlecht has yet to even start a Barclays Premier League match but he has already been booked twice in two appearances, something McClaren believes is down to the aggression he shares with Chelsea forward Costa. On his debut against Southampton, Mitrovic was booked after less than 15 seconds - and could easily have been dismissed - while against Swansea he again came off the bench to receive a yellow card inside a minute of being on the field. However, despite this apparent lack of discipline, McClaren does not want the Serbian to lose any of his aggression. Speaking after the Swansea game, the Magpies head coach said of the 20-year-old forward (Daily Mirror):
"Ive had a lot of these type of players during my career and you do not take that aggression, that emotion, away from the game. "Just dont do that. For example, Diego Costa at Chelsea. To curb it you take 50 per cent of their game away."
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
