As Fabian Schar prepares to play in his third World Cup, the Switzerland international may well be at the very peak of his powers. With that in mind, it is remarkable to think that the 30-year-old could not even get on the pitch for Newcastle United little more than a year ago.
In fact, Schar went nine games without featuring for the club under Steve Bruce and interim boss Graeme Jones before Eddie Howe's arrival last November. You can see why the defender was delighted to see the head coach come in.
Howe, after all, had previously tried to sign Schar for Bournemouth when the Cherries were in the Championship. Although that did not bring any guarantees, Schar, finally, had the confidence and trust of his manager, who did not want him to change. Instead, in their very first meeting at Benton, Howe simply told Schar to play his game.
