‘He Can Be A Liability’ – Point On Newcastle United Star Made By Former Magpie | OneFootball

Stu Forster/Getty Images

Former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey believes that centre-back Fabian Schar ‘can be a liability’ sometimes for the Magpies as he can give away needless fouls.

Schar joined Newcastle back in 2018 from Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna, initially signing a three-year deal with the St James’ Park side.

The Swiss defender has since made 253 appearances for Newcastle across all competitions, while scoring 22 goals, being a dependable option at the back.

He attracted transfer market interest last year, with multiple Bundesliga clubs keen on him, but no move eventually materialised and Schar stayed put.

Following his retirement from the Switzerland national team in 2024, Schar shifted his full focus to Newcastle, where he remains one of the most respected figures in the dressing room.

The centre-back signed a contract extension with the Premier League outfit in June, extending his stay at the club until June 2027, to give Matthias Jaissle an experienced head.

This season, Schar is yet to start a Premier League game, having made two appearances off the bench, the latest in the win over Hull City on Saturday, when he replaced midfielder Sean Steur.

Earlier this month, Schar started for Newcastle in their EFL Cup clash against Millwall, featuring for the whole game and playing his part in helping the club secure a 1-0 victory.

There were questions ahead of the Hull City game over whether Jaissle should play Schar in midfield against the Tigers, especially given the young nature of the club’s engine room options.

Howey though warned that the centre-back could be vulnerable to committing fouls in midfield, as he can become annoyed in games.

The former Magpies man believes that on occasion, Schar can be a liability due to needless fouls.

Speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle, Howey said: “I think Schar’s temperament can be the type that silently loses his rag a little bit and give away needless fouls.

“There’s no doubt he can play football, I’m just thinking about the physicality of it [if he played in midfield].

“You don’t want to be going into nearly three weeks [of international break] with two loses on the bounce, so I get what is being seen, but sometimes I think he can be a liability.”

With the 2-1 win over Hull City, Newcastle made sure to go into the international break on the back of a win, with two goals in the first eight minutes, through Joe Willock and Lewis Hall, key.

Meanwhile, the Magpies received an injury boost with goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen, who has been recovering from an ankle injury, spotted in training.