Newcastle keeper Karius ready to put ‘haunting’ mistakes behind him: Howe

NEWCASTLE: Eddie Howe believes Loris Karius has a point to prove at Newcastle United, but not for the reasons many believe.

The Magpies’ head coach has handed the German keeper a fresh start in the Premier League after his controversial, stop-start spell at Liverpool was cut short last summer. The 29-year-old was a free transfer signing after Karl Darlow picked up an injury and the club’s coaching staff wanted to improve on third choice Mark Gillespie.

It’s a move that has raised eyebrows, especially given the high-profile errors that go hand-in-hand with Karius’ name. The new United signing was, of course, to blame for two goals in Liverpool’s 2018 Champions League final loss to Real Madrid, a game which has haunted the player’s career ever since.

However, while Howe believes the player arrives on Tyneside with something to prove, it is not because of that night in Kyiv four years ago.

“I think there has been a period where he hasn’t had that day-to-day contact with a team,” he said of Karius, who is expected to be on the bench for tomorrow’s visit of AFC Bournemouth to St. James’ Park.

“I think he’s improved and got better with every training session we’ve had. Certainly, he’s been really good with the team.

“You don’t want to bring someone in who doesn’t want to play and who can’t play. He can do both. He’s pushing and trained very well.”

When asked about Karius’ Champions League final errors, Howe said: “I haven’t really gone into any depth into his career with him yet, he’s only been here minimal time. But every player that comes in has a point to prove, depending how you look at it.

“We certainly want to help him get to the best levels he’s capable of. From what I’ve seen in training I’ve been very