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Colback's Not Getting Carried Away
Written by Newcastle Utd
Jack Colback refused to get carried away with a point at Old Trafford, insisting there is still room for improvement
By Anthony Marshall - Newcastle United Managing Editor
Jack Colback refused to get carried away with a point at Old Trafford, insisting there is still plenty of room for improvement in this new-look Newcastle United side.
An outstanding, resilient performance against Manchester United meant a first clean sheet of the season and a goalless draw for the Magpies, who were excellent all over the pitch.
And while Colback admits there were plenty of positives to take back to Tyneside, the midfielder still wants he and his teammates to be better in possession.
"It's a tough game and we've ground out a point," Colback told nufc.co.uk after the final whistle.
"Obviously it isn't the win we wanted but Old Trafford is a tough place to come, and we will take that. It's something to build on.
"Before the game we spoke about how they would come at us quickly, but we had to make sure we didn't concede.
"They threw everything at us but we defended really well. The back four and Tim were exceptional - every time a ball came into the box, they were first to it.
"Coming here, you will always be defending for a lot of the game. We knew that and we knew we had to see it out. But we were also confident that we would get chances. Mitro put a great header against the bar, there was Ayo, and right at the end Florian wasn't too far away from getting a nick.
"Today we didn't play as well as we would have liked on the ball, but that's what we have to work towards, and it will come. But everyone worked so hard today and we've managed to get a point, which is a positive."
And Colback had a final word for striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who - on his full debut - led the line brilliantly and could have snatched all three points with a first half header that crashed against the crossbar.
The 20-year-old Serbian striker refused to give the Red Devils' rearguard a moment's peace and Colback believes Mitrovic is a bit of a throwback.
"Mitro is a character, which is good to have in the team," he said.
"He's a target man - you give him the ball and he will keep it. You can see that defenders aren't too keen on coming up against him, and he is always a threat.
"He's an old-fashioned centre-forward who isn't afraid to put his foot or head in, and ruffles a few feathers. It's what we need and he is going to be a very good player for us."