ALAN Pardew is confident Danny Guthrie can fill the void in Newcastle United’s midfield engine room after hailing the 23-year-old’s performance in the thrashing of Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend.

Guthrie has been a peripheral figure since Pardew arrived at St James’ Park in December, rarely having a chance to show what he can do in his favoured central position – and he had not started a game since the defeat at Fulham at the start of February.

However, the former Liverpool trainee has belatedly impressed his manager, slotting perfectly into the middle of the Newcastle midfield last weekend despite waiting almost eight weeks for a starting chance. Manager Pardew is excited about what he has brought to the side, insisting Guthrie was as good technically as any one in his squad and proof we can produce players with the passing ability to rival the cultured elite abroad.

“I was really pleased with Danny,” said Pardew, who will be forced to find another partner for the 23-year-old at Aston Villa on Sunday as Kevin Nolan starts a two-game ban. He has a technical ability and assurance on the ball you don’t often see.

“If he was Spanish or French we would be complaining about how we don’t produce players with technical ability. Danny is as good as anyone on the ball and he has the full range of passing.

“To come into the side after so long on the bench and play so well, he was excellent for us and we need him to maintain that now.

“We will be missing two important players at Aston Villa in Kevin Nolan and Cheik Tioté so we need Danny to play as well as he did against Wolves. He can be our link player in midfield, the one who gets us moving.”

With only 12 appearances in his third season on Tyneside, Guthrie – who was linked with a loan move to Nottingham Forest in the January transfer window – is playing for his future as a United player.