10 Things Newcastle Fans Need To Know About Jack Colback

5. He's The Only Left-Footed Midfielder In The NUFC Squad

Newcastle currently have plethora of right-footed central midfielders giving the squad a rather lopsided appearance and the addition of Colback will hopefully restore a semblance of balance, especially with Hatem Ben Arfa and Sylvain Marveaux high on the list of players to be sold this summer. Being a natural left-footer will give Colback an edge over a large proportion of his rivals for a position in Alan Pardew's engine room and he has been praised for his intelligent and precise passing at Sunderland. That said, we'd prefer to see Moussa Sissoko alongside Cheick Tiote at the base of our midfield with the 24-year-old kept in reserve or deployed in an advanced role as he was by Gus Poyet last season. Not since the late, great Gary Speed have we had a left-footed player function so effectively in the middle of the park and the Welshman should be a yardstick for Colback to emulate if he is to be a success on Tyneside.