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NEWCASTLE: Kieran Trippier thinks Newcastle United will be competing for every trophy in the next few years — and he is hoping to keep playing until he is 40 to get a taste of it.
Trippier will lead the Magpies out at Wembley on Sunday as they take on his boyhood club Manchester United in the final of the Carabao Cup.
The England defender only signed on the dotted line for Newcastle 13 months ago — and few would have thought the transformation in fortunes would be so stark. Trippier arrived at St. James’ Park with the club fighting relegation. They now head into this weekend’s capital showpiece with eyes on the Champions League and the club’s first meaningful silverware since 1969.
“If you look back to last January, the progress we have made, we have earned the right to be in this position that we’re in today,” said the 32-year-old.
“The way that we have performed this season, we have tried to compete with all the top teams and we want to be where the top four are with Man United, Man City. That’s where Newcastle want to be. We have earned the right to be in the position that we are in.”
While this is the end of one particular journey — in the Carabao, a competition Newcastle have never won — it is far from the finish of the club’s rise, according to Trippier.
“I certainly believe this club will be fighting for every trophy possible and I’m not just saying that,” he said.
“A year down the line, we’re in a cup final. That’s a great stepping stone for us as a club to move forward,” Trippier added. “If I’m not here and they are playing Champions League football, I’ll be absolutely delighted that I’ve managed to help in some way to get them into the position that they will hopefully be in. I certainly believe they could be fighting for everything in a couple of years’ time. They have got the perfect manager in charge. He’s unbelievable. The owners are fantastic. I just hope that they do because Newcastle is a massive club.”
Trippier only recently penned a new one-year extension to his Magpies’ deal — but he hopes it will not be his last.
When asked about the longevity of his own career, he said: “You look at Tom Brady and Ryan Giggs. I played with a great pro, Michael Duff, when I was at Burnley. This is what I love. This is what I was born to do.”
Trippier says he will not stop playing until someone tells him to, and he hopes that will be many years from now, and at Newcastle.
“There’s nowhere else I would rather be. I love it here,” he said. “I have got a great relationship with everybody, from my teammates right to the top. I want to help the club and, hopefully, I will retire here in many years.”
Trippier believes he has the fitness levels necessary to play until his late 30s and has had a good injury record since returning from a broken foot last year.
“I have had a great injury record and I feel really good. I will do everything right, recover right, prepare right as I always have done. Hopefully, you will see me when I’m 40. You never know, do you? You’ve seen stranger things happen.”
The Trippier family will in some respects have divided loyalties at the weekend, with the Newcastle skipper coming for Red Devils stock, although he hopes his father puts his Old Trafford passions aside for one weekend at least.
“Me, of course. Well, I hope so,” said Trippier, when asked whom his father will be supporting this weekend.
“It’s a proud moment for all my family even though they are Reds. They will be supporting me. Hopefully, we can give a good account of ourselves for the club and bring the trophy back to Newcastle,” he said.
While he is proud to captain the team, Trippier says the club’s fortunes come first.
“If I’m captain or not, I’m still representing myself in the same way for the club but, of course, I would be proud to lead the lads out and hopefully it’s very positive by the end of the game.”
One of the biggest challenges facing the Magpies is Marcus Rashford, arguably the most in-form striker in the whole of top-level world football.
Rashford, of course, is no stranger to Trippier; they train and play regularly with each other for England.
“I know Marcus very well. I’m actually really happy for him because I’ve always known how unbelievable he is and he’s certainly hit some form,” said Trippier.
“But it’s not about one individual. You’ve got (Bruno) Fernandes, Casemiro, Luke Shaw, who’s been unbelievable this season as well. We can’t be too focused on them. Obviously, we need to review them, of course, but we need to focus on how we can hurt them. We want to go into that final to win. That’s our only priority.”