Mitrovic Is A "Big Asset" With A "Bit Of Devil In Him", Insists McClaren

No goals arrived on his debut, but Mitrovic's arrival excites McClaren.

By Chris Waugh /

Steve McClaren believes Aleksandar Mitrovic "lacked the final yard" on his Newcastle United debut - but that the Serbian striker has "that bit of devil in him" that will make him a "big asset" once he's trained consistently with the Magpies squad. Mitrovic signed from Anderlecht for £13 million last week but only trained with the rest of the Newcastle squad for the first time on Tuesday as he waited for a work permit to be granted. And, after just two training sessions, Mitrovic made his Magpies bow during the 2-1 loss to York City at Bootham Crescent on Wednesday night wearing the same No 45 on the back of his shirt that he did in Belgium. Despite having several chances, Mitrovic failed to find the back of the net before being replaced by 17-year-old Lewis Suddick in the 70th minute. Yet, speaking after the game to The Northern Echo, McClaren said of his new signing:
"He has not trained for ten days so lacked that final yard here. "But he has that bit of devil in him. He is a very good signing. He will be a big asset for us. He wanted to play after a day's training. Hopefully he will play more Saturday. "He has that bit of devil when he crosses the white line, he loses the smile and the innocence of that face. He is a real warrior and we just need to build him up. "He is a very physical player. There was one cross in the first-half from Shane Ferguson and he left the defender on the ground. When I saw videos of him playing that is what he does. He is a strong player."
The endeavour was certainly there - at points Mitrovic could be seen screaming at his teammates to pass him the ball as he ran around with his arm flapping about in the air - but the end product was not quite right just yet. In terms of how Mitrovic played, he will certainly be frustrated that he didn€™t find the back of the net in the 70 minutes he was on the pitch despite having had plenty of chances. However, McClaren will be very pleased that his new striking acquisition is getting into the right positions. That is a positive sign going forward - and the Magpies head coach will hope to see the "devil" in Mitrovic come out against Borussia Monchengladbach at St James' Park on Saturday. CLICK HERE to read how Mitrovic and his teammates performed individually during the 2-1 loss to York City.For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow WhatCulture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.