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Signing a new contract until 2024, Fabian Schär committed to Newcastle United for the foreseeable future.

The 30-year-old remains an important part of Eddie Howe’s set up at St James’ Park, starting six of a possible seven games, as well as scoring in the season opener against Nottingham Forest.

He also continues to be called up to the Switzerland national team, for whom he played against the Czech Republic on Tuesday.

They won 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League A game, but Stéphane Henchoz, who played for many years at Liverpool, doesn’t believe the Newcastle defender is performing as well as he can alongside Nico Elvedi.

He told Blick: “Central defender have to fit together. The Schär-Elvedi pair doesn’t match. A central defender duo must complement each other, has to understand each other and you just don’t see it with these two.”

Down their end, Newcastle haven’t exactly been an impenetrable fortress with the Swiss in their backline, conceding nine goals in their first seven games, with two of those coming when he was on the bench against Liverpool.

Since signing with Newcastle, he has made 106 appearances for the Magpies, scoring 10 goals and assisting another three.