Newcastle United FC

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Duff backed by Roeder

02 Feb 2007 - 08:43:57

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Newcastle United boss Glenn Roeder is confident that Damien Duff will prove his worth in the near future, having struggled to find his feet with the Magpies.

The 27-year-old Republic of Ireland winger has scored just once in 21 games this season since his £5million move from Chelsea, but Roeder is hopeful that an enforced break due to injury will help Duff in the long run.

He said: "Damien Duff is self-critical - he is too self-critical at times. You can be too analytical and put unnecessary pressure on yourself.

"But at least that shows you how much he cares and how much he wants to do well for Newcastle.

"Even for him, settling in probably has not been easy. He has moved from one end of the country to the other and he has come from the team that has just won the Premiership twice.

"Just because he is an experienced player does not mean he is going to settle in straight away and find his best form.

"I have a feeling that although we did not want him to have this enforced break through injury, maybe that is just what he needed to finally settle in, come back fresh and play a big part for us.

"I am very positive in the remainder of this season that we will see the Damien Duff that he expects of himself."