Duff safe at Newcastle

Damien Duff has been assured by Kevin Keegan that he has a future at the barcodes for the forseeable future. With Newcastle flying high at the moment and talk of transfer targets like Reyes in the summer the writing may have been on the wall for the Dublin winger. King Kev has other ideas and seems happy with the idea of Duff staying longer than the end of this season.

The Newcastle manager said

"Damien Duff is a key player. I keep telling him that every day.

"I don't tell him that because I am trying to keep him sweet. I tell him that because I honestly feel he has a major role to play."

"We've not only got a good team of players at the minute, we've also got a good squad around it."

"What you have to have in your squad is the ability to change things at all times.

"We've got that with someone like Damien Duff he's on fire at the moment.

"I thought he might get a goal (after he appeared as a 74th-minute substitute against Reading) and he was unlucky not to.

"He's champing at the bit to get back in the team and then it'll be James Milner in the next ten days or so wanting to get back in as well.

"You'll see now when Duff, Milner and Smith come back in and they will they'll be coming back into a side which has some confidence. That can make a major difference to how they play as well."