Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew has likened Davide Santon to former utility player Phil Neville.
The Manchester United coach was a versatile member of the Red Devils side before moving on to captain Everton later in his career, and the Magpies boss believes that his Italian full-back can be just as effective in different positions as Neville was.
Pardew is quoted as saying by The Mirror: "The important thing is that Davide Santon has got a long-term future at this club because he's still only young and is gaining such experience.
"He can play right-back, left-back and now he has shown can play central midfield, so you're looking at one very important player.
"When I look at someone like Phil Neville, Santon could in my opinion be the Phil Neville of this football club, a kind of unsung hero like Phil was at Man U. You look at when they won trophies and he was very important."
Santon arrived at St James' Park from Inter Milan.
