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The Daily Mail have produced an article asking several of their writers for their most underrated players in the Premier League, and one has bizarrely suggested Newcastle’s Paul Dummett.
“Underrated” is a word that gets tossed about far too much in football, just like “legend”, “world class” and just about every other over-simplified term you can think of.
And The Daily Mail have proved that even their own writers don’t quite grasp the concept, with some picking the likes of Bernardo Silva and Ruben Neves as their choices, both of whom are in the running for PFA Young Player of the Year, so not exactly underrated.
One writer came from way out in left field with his suggestion though, pondering why Dummett doesn’t get more credit.
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What did he say?
“I'll go with a player who I see every week in my role as our North East man. The Newcastle defender said in an interview last season that fans always used to tell him he was 's****'. Not anymore,” said Craig Hope.
“When Dummett plays Newcastle look better and benefit from his assured presence.
“He is arguably the best defender at the club and, when you consider the likes of Jamaal Lascelles are valued at £20million, it shows you why he is underrated.”
Way off the mark
Where do we start with this one? First of all, the Magpies do not look better with Dummett on the pitch.
In fact, most of the best performances this season have come with Rafael Benitez’s typical three-at-the-back system, a formation that rarely accommodates the Welsh international.
He is also nowhere near the club’s best defender, a title surely reserved for Florian Lejeune, while Lascelles and Fabian Schar will feel they deserve a mention too.
Dummett is a fan favourite on Tyneside and for good reason. He is tough, passionate and versatile enough to help the team in a number of ways.
What he isn’t though is the Magpies’ best defender, or the most underrated player in the league. Quite simply, Hope has had an absolute nightmare with his verdict on this one.