Newcastle United defender Kieran Trippier admits he's 'really happy' to see Marcus Rashford back in form as he named the Manchester United forward as one of four key threats his side will face in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
Trippier's Newcastle will face United at Wembley looking to take a first major trophy to St. James' Park since 1955. While nowhere near as long, the Reds are also looking to end their own trophy drought as well, having not won silverware since the 2017 Europa League.
A regular England international teammate, Trippier has been all too aware of Rashford's quality for years but the 25-year-old's form since the turn of the year has been remarkable. 16 goals in 17 games has him as the top scorer in Europe's top five divisions for the year so far and arguably the most in form forward on the continent - but he's not the only danger United will present on Sunday.
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"I know Marcus very well," Trippier told ChronicleLive. "I'm really happy for him because I've always known how unbelievable he is and he's certainly hit some form. But it's not about one individual - you've got Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Luke Shaw, who's been unbelievable this season as well.
"We can't be too focused on them. Obviously, we need to review them, of course, but we need to focus on how we can hurt them. We want to go into that final to win. That's our only priority."
Having spent three seasons under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid, the 32-year-old will have mastered the darker side of the game that saw him win La Liga in 2021 and compete in countless finals both domestically and in Europe. Simeone is famed for his game management and somewhat underhand tactics in doing so, and the Magpies defender is hoping to take inspiration from his former boss at Wembley.
"I learned a lot from the manager at Atletico," the Newcastle man added. "There are moments in games, in finals, where you have to be clever and know when to slow the game down if the opposition is on top - even if the fans might not like it. I wouldn't say it's cheating - it's about trying to win a football match.
"We will be ready. I might throw some new tricks out there. I'm only joking - I don't want to get booked!"
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