Newcastle United won their third consecutive match in the Premier League on Monday night when they beat Burnley at Turf Moor.

And while the whole team and club as a setup have to be credited and admired for the way they have turned their season around, defender Federico Fernandez has emerged as a somewhat unsung hero in the team's turn of results.

After losing their first ten matches, Rafa Benitez's charges began to get things together with a win over Watford at the beginning of October, which was followed by another inspiring performance over Eddie Howe's high-flying Bournemouth.

But the away win over the Clarets on Monday emphasised the desire and determination the team has and more notably Fernandez.

In a recent interview with the Chronicle, following the win over Sean Dyche's team, the centre-back portrayed the ambitions he has with the Magpies. Fernandez had a big hand in Newcastle opening the scoring in the 4th minute when his right-footed shot deflected off Ben Mee to sail past Joe Hart into the back of the Burnley net.

In the interview, Fernandez rubbished the question if he would claim the goal by saying, 'The main thing is we scored early in the game,' emphasising the importance to just get the job done and build on their form.

In the earlier victories over the Watford and Bournemouth, it was also the Argentinian international who looked the most composed and calm when Newcastle looked as if they might fall apart.

Despite only arriving at the North East club in August, Fernandez immediately impressed when he made his debut against Chelsea. Benitez's trust in him as a core part of the back-four could also stretch back to when they were both still at Italian club Napoli.

Fernandez has clearly shown to be just the player Newcastle need if they were to push on with their current run and move further away from a relegation spot.

Becoming a cult-hero already, Fernandez's popularity on Tyneside is heart-warming after such a miserable summer at the hands of Mike Ashley. Try as he might, the Sports Direct mogul cannot dampen the Toon crowd, and the old-fashioned romance that goes along with the Toon Army.