Paul Dummett says he wants more minutes on the pitch after signing a contract for what will be his tenth season playing senior football for Newcastle United.
The 30-year-old defender signed a new contract earlier this month which will keep him at Newcastle United for another year. He came up through the youth system at the club and made his first team debut against Manchester City back in 2013.
Since then Dummett has made over 200 appearances for Newcastle, 146 of which have been in the Premier League. This season he was out with injury until January and after getting fit managed to chalk up only three appearances – two wins and a draw – due to the arrival of Matt Targett.
READ MORE: Newcastle confirm new deal for Dummett
Speaking to the club’s website about signing for his tenth season, Dummett said: “Growing up you can only dream of doing something like that for your boyhood team. So to be committing another year, it is a dream come true.”
Asked about his ambitions for next season he said: “I would like to play more minutes, but it’s not easy when the team is doing really well. We’ve signed Matt Targett in January who’s been magnificent since he joined.
“So I have no complaints that I haven’t actually been picked, because the team’s been playing so well. It could be different if we hadn’t been winning games – the manager might have been more willing to change players and change the team – but unfortunately for me I haven’t had that chance.
“But at the end of the day it’s a team game and I want the team to win, so I’ll be doing everything I can next season to come back fully fit and try and push. Next season the aim would be to try and play more minutes and try to earn another contract.”
Eddie Howe publicly praised Dummett’s character while explaining why the contract had been offered despite the defender not getting in the team. Dummett in turn offered his opinion on Howe during the club’s interview.
He said: “You definitely learn different things from different managers. Eddie Howe’s really intense on the training ground, he’s very involved.
“Some managers aren’t involved on the training pitch day to day, but Eddie Howe is really involved. He’s in control of everything. So he knows exactly what he wants from training, and when we go on the pitch everyone knows exactly what their roles are and their responsibilities. So he’s been a big positive influence on the whole squad.”
