ON the face of it, Matz Sels shares little in common with Claudio Bravo and Victor Valdes. One is an uncapped Belgian currently plying his trade in the Championship, the other two are former Barcelona goalkeepers who collectively boast more than 125 senior caps for Chile and Spain.

Yet having moved to England in the summer, all three currently find themselves being intensely scrutinised as they attempt to come to terms with the physical challenges they now find themselves facing.

Bravo’s Manchester City debut might have ended in a derby victory over United, but his error-strewn performance, which saw his failure to deal with a cross set up a goal for Zlatan Ibrahimovich, still attracted criticism. Valdes has been steadier since joining Middlesbrough, but his reluctance to catch the ball in his own penalty area has rekindled the debate about Aitor Karanka’s jettisoning of Dimi Konstantopoulos.

Sels was one of the least heralded of Newcastle United’s 12 summer signings, but his performances in the opening six weeks of the season have generated more debate than those of the rest of his fellow new arrivals put together.

Is he strong enough to succeed in the Championship, or is his performance at Bristol City, when he flapped at a series of crosses, a more realistic assessment of his capabilities?

Sels accepts he is still coming to terms with life in English football, but points to the likes of Bravo as proof that even the best goalkeepers still need a settling in period. The same was true of David de Gea at Manchester United, and he isn’t exactly faring badly now. 

“You only have to look at somebody like Claudio Bravo,” said Sels, who joined Newcastle in a £4.5m switch from Belgian side Gent. “He’s played for Barcelona, but he comes here and he still finds it more physical.

“That’s definitely the main difference between England and anywhere else. He will adapt, but even he needs some time to get used to the way of playing.

“You have to change a few things. The most important thing here is that your opponents will try to block you whenever you come off your line. In Belgium, the referees will not allow that, but here sometimes they let it go.

“It is getting better, and goalkeepers are getting protected a bit more than in the past, but still it is not the same as in Belgium. In Belgium, we also play against tall strikers – Bravo will have played against tall strikers in Spain too – but the blocks are different.”

Sels’ struggles against the high ball have led plenty of supporters to question the wisdom of playing him ahead of Karl Darlow and a fit-again Rob Elliot, but while the 24-year-old has not always looked especially comfortable dealing with set-pieces, his shot-stopping capabilities were a major factor in the run of five successive clean sheets that came to an end in last weekend’s league defeat to Wolves.

He clearly boasts plenty of natural ability, and with Benitez seemingly adamant that he will remain his number one, his performances should only improve as he gains more and more experience of the English game.

Taking on physically-imposing strikers should become easier with time, although Sels admits the end-to-end nature of the English game, with matches tending to stay in the balance until the final seconds, poses its own challenge.

“All the lads you play against are strong, so it’s important to come for the high balls and everything,” said Sels. “It’s good for me to experience that because it helps you improve and get better, but the game is also a lot faster here and you have to be focused right through every game.

“The ball is always going up and down the pitch. In Belgium, if you are one of the big teams, you can dominate the whole game for 80 minutes and then in the last five minutes they might play with five strikers to try to finally test you. Here, the game is constantly going backwards and forwards, that is the big difference.”

Sels’ concentration levels were more than acceptable as Newcastle kept clean sheets against Reading, Bristol City, Brighton, Derby and QPR, and while he might be plying his trade in the second tier of the English game, his performances have not gone unnoticed in his homeland.

He has twice been called into Belgium’s senior squad, only to fail to appear in the subsequent game, and while Roberto Martinez is hardly short of options with Thibaut Courtois and Simon Mignolet in the ranks, Sels is in contention for an international debut.

“There’s a lot of competition here, and that’s good for me,” he said. “I have to try to improve every detail of my game, and then I can play better. That’s better for me, and for the national team too. I am making steps, and coming closer to the national team.”

Benitez’s faith in his ability must be a major morale boost, and with Premier League clubs having made contact with Sels this summer, the presence of a Champions League-winning manager was a key reason why he opted to move to St James’ Park.

“We had some contact over the summer and when you hear that a coach likes Benitez wants you, it’s normal that you make a fast decision,” he said. “He has reached some great achievements in his career.”