Viduka ready for Shearer mission

Apr 18 2009 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

MARK Viduka will make a welcome return to bolster Newcastle United’s desperate survival mission against Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow following a personal plea from Alan Shearer to help save the club.

Shearer has revealed that Viduka had effectively been forgotten by the previous managerial team as the Australian was left to rot on the sidelines.

The 33-year-old, whose contract expires at the end of the season, has been hampered by an Achilles problem for more than a year and it seems most had given up hope of the striker ever playing again for the Magpies.

Viduka has managed just one starting appearance all season and had clearly become disillusioned with life on Tyneside until Shearer’s arrival breathed life back into him.

“I asked Mark ‘do you want to help play a part in us trying to stay up?’ and the answer was most definitely a ‘yes’,” said Shearer, who is quickly displaying the sort of man-management skills needed to be successful as a team boss.

“I think it would have been a complete waste to just let him lie on the treatment table looking forward to going back to the beaches in Australia. That’s what his plans were this summer.

“The big thing with Mark is getting him fit and keeping him fit. We have to try to manage that and treat him differently to the rest of the players in training.

“It’s fair to say that Mark probably wouldn’t have played again this season if things hadn’t changed. So just having him available to play some part is great.

“He was injured, not in a good condition and probably on his way to Australia this summer because talks hadn’t happened between himself and the football club. But he’s shown a great appetite to get us out of trouble which is what I’m looking for.”

Viduka’s return to fitness at the tail end of last season helped contribute to an impressive run of results which included a 4-1 thrashing of Spurs at White Hart Lane.