Steve McClaren wants Aleksandar Mitrovic to be Newcastle's 'derby devil' at Sunderland

Steve McClaren wants Aleksandar Mitrovic to be Newcastle's 'derby devil' at Sunderland

STEVE McCLAREN wants striker Aleksandar Mitrovic to be Newcastle's "derby devil" at Sunderland on Sunday.

 

And the manager is confident his Serb firebrand will not put him through hell again by getting sent off.

Mitrovic was dismissed against Arsenal earlier this season and had come perilously close to being shown a red card within seconds of his Premier League debut three weeks earlier.

 

McClaren is confident Mitrovic will not put him through hell again by getting sent off

Ominously, during his Anderlecht days, he notched up more cards than goals in games against Club Brugge, the biggest fixture in Belgian football.

In nine games, he was sent off twice, booked another four times but also scored four goals.

 

McClaren, however, believes it will be Sunderland defence rather than match official Robert Madley who will be cursing Mitrovic on Sunday.

"We're well aware of his disciplinary record (in Belgium) but he has shown a level of maturity in our last three games," said the Newcastle manager.

"We knew there was a bit of the devil in him but to be perfectly honest, that has added to our game. We need that from him but we also need control and that is the key."