Satka Prepared For His Biggest Test

By Dan King - Newcastle United Digital Editor

Earlier this week, Lubo Å atka returned to his native Slovakia to sit two exams but the biggest test of his life so far may be just around the corner.

The 19-year-old Newcastle United centre-back is on standby to make his Barclays Premier League debut against high-flying Arsenal on Saturday - or in the Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland a fortnight later - because of the Magpies' current defensive crisis.

That would represent a steep learning curve in his footballing education but whether it's in the classroom or on the pitch, Å atka tends to come top of the class no matter what the assignment.

Days after arriving on Tyneside in 2012 as a gangly, floppy-haired 16-year-old, he went straight into the United squad for that summer's Hong Kong Football Club Citibank International Soccer Sevens and returned from the Far East with a winners' medal as Newcastle lifted the trophy.

Having starred in last season's run to the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup and signed his first professional deal a year ago, he's now the Magpies' regular captain at under-21 level and made his senior bow against Leicester in the FA Cup in January.

And with Steven Taylor, Paul Dummett and Massadio Haïdara all injured and Fabricio Coloccini now banned for the next three games, Šatka's league bow would appear to be imminent.

But he told nufc.co.uk: "It doesn't scare me. I don't feel any pressure.

"I want to say I'm ready but I guess you never know until you actually play. But I'm excited.

"If I get called upon, I'll try my best. Hopefully I'll make my debut and it'll be good for me to be tested against good players.

"Obviously it would be a big test for me - I'm still young - but it would be a great learning experience."

Cultured and calm on the ball (he was described as a "young Coloccini" by former boss Alan Pardew), Å atka was on the bench for last weekend's Barclays Premier League defeat at Everton - the sixth time he's been among the substitutes this term - but flew back to Slovakia straight after the game.

He returned to the digs he shares with fellow Newcastle youngster Callum Williams on Wednesday night, in time to train ahead of the Gunners game, explaining: "I had my first set of final exams at my school.

"When I first came here, I'd already started the school so my parents and I decided it would be best for me to finish it.

"I'd rather just play football but if it means my parents are happy then I'll just have to finish it."

In Slovakia, children study at primary school between the ages of six and 15 before going to secondary school until the age of 19.

Ilava-born Å atka sat two language exams - Slovak and English - and he smiled: "Slovakian was quite hard because I'd forgotten a few things, but English was easy. Everybody else was stressing about both, but I was relaxed for English.

"For the Slovakian paper, I had to write an essay. There were four different categories and I chose one called 'What if we escaped?'. You had to write a story. It was weird.

"But for the English one, the essay was 'My dream job.' I had an hour to do it and I did it in 15 minutes because I was basically just writing about my life."

He may well have another chapter to add very soon.

Tickets for Saturday's Barclays Premier League fixture against Arsenal are still available. To secure your seat at St. James' Park, click here.