He told the Daily Mail: “Of course Al is missed. And judging by the text messages, he misses us.
“He was a massive player and presence here but you realise that life in football goes on and you forget about people who are no longer here very quickly. It’s the only way to move on.
“He is a big loss but just look at how well Obafemi Martins has handled taking his place. He is a totally different type of player and character but had the courage to take the number nine shirt and he has done really well, minimising the loss of Al because he has scored goals.
“He is not Alan Shearer by any means but he has his own qualities and has made a great contribution to the season.
“It is hard when you are in football but when someone goes, you have to carry on. It’s the way he would have expected us to react and the way we’ve had to move on as a team.
“If anything it’s probably harder for Alan. He’s had football in his life every day for 15-plus years and then suddenly it’s taken away. That’s very difficult for any player but at least Al’s had his television work to fall back on.
“Alan Shearer was a great pro and for the year I was here with him I learned a lot from him. It was always going to be a big ask for anyone to take over from him. We know how well respected he is among Newcastle people and how much he is a legend here.
“It was going to be difficult but I always felt I could do a good job and watching him helped me. I came from Chelsea where things were not too clever and leading the Newcastle side out for the first time was the proudest day of my career and that still goes.
“It is still such an honour to lead the club out and I feel that every time I put the captain’s armband on.”
