Norwich boss Smith says Zimmerman deserved chance against Newcastle | OneFootball

Norwich boss Dean Smith says Christoph Zimmermann deserved his chance in their 3-0 defeat to Newcastle.

Zimmermann made only his second Premier League appearance of the season, and Smith was keen to highlight the centre-back's contribution to the squad.

“Zimbo's attitude since I've been here has been first class," he said. “His first game for me was against Liverpool in the cup and he was excellent. It was a tough game and a tough time for him to come in today.

“Gibbo's made a couple of mistakes that have cost goals and it's tough because he hasn't played as many games, so had no rhythm, but I just felt I needed to make that change.

“All I can concentrate on now is Villa next week, digest this game, reflect on it and see what we can learn from it. That's all we can do and we need to come back better next week to not give goals away like we are giving away at the moment. Hopefully, we can then put in a performance at Villa Park."