Lifelong Newcastle United supporter Steve Harmison has compared Dutch defender Sven Botman to Manchester United legend Nemanja Vidic.
Botman has proven a major coup for Newcastle since his summer arrival from Lille. He has formed a formidable defensive partnership with Fabian Schar, and further endeared himself to his new fanbase by rejecting a call-up by Netherlands U21s to focus on his club football in September.
The Dutch defender, who has been left out of the Netherlands' World Cup squad, has started 12 of Newcastle's 15 Premier League games, and is yet to lose a competitive game for the Magpies. No Premier League club has conceded fewer goals than Newcastle's record of 11 goals, and Harmison, who now works as talkSPORT's Newcastle correspondent, has tipped Botman to become a 'superstar'.
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"I know Holland have got a very good centre-back pairing, but Sven Botman is going to be a superstar as a player," the former England cricketer told talkSPORT.
"Newcastle are third in the Premier League, and Newcastle have got a chance of staying up there because of the defence that Eddie Howe has built and the stability that he's got.
"Nick Pope and the back-four are keeping clean sheets for fun largely down to the big Dutchman because he is a machine. He is a big lad, he's 6ft 5in, strong character, he's got a bit of pace and his persona on the pitch is infectious.
"All he wants to do is defend and I'm going to get Manchester United fans hammering me for saying it but I think he's the closest thing I've seen to Nemanja Vidic since he left the Premier League. He's a big strong man who wants to defend but he can play as well."
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