Jermaine Jenas has urged Newcastle United to recall Jonjo Shelvey to their starting XI ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash against Liverpool.
Shelvey, 25, has started only one of the Magpies’ six Premier League fixtures this season, the opening-day defeat to Tottenham in which he was sent off for stamping on Dele Alli.
The Newcastle central midfielder has been on the bench for the last three games after serving a three-match suspension but former Magpies player Jenas believed it is now the right time for him to be recalled by manager Rafael Benitez.
“One way Benitez could address his problems in attack is by getting midfielder Shelvey in the right frame of mind and back into his starting line-up,” Jenas said, as quoted by the BBC Sport website.
“It is clear to me that Newcastle are a better and more creative side with Shelvey than they are without him.
“The level of threat carried by the Magpies went through the roof the moment he came on as a 68th-minute substitute against Brighton.
“Isaac Hayden is a decent footballer and very combative, and you can tell Mikel Merino likes getting on the ball and popping it around – but they are both a little bit safe in midfield.
“Shelvey tries things. He is a threat from distance and a good crosser of the ball, the type of player that attackers will love to play with. With the qualities he has got, Newcastle need him in their team.
“I think the kind of season they will now go on to have will depend on whether they can get him in form and get the best out of him. He is that important.”
OPINION
If Benitez could be sure that Shelvey would not have the type of brainfart moment that has pockmarked his career, then the midfield kingpin would be the first name on his teamsheet. But it is a matter of trust. And, at the moment, the manager cannot trust Shelvey to keep his cool in the heat of the midfield battle. Last weekend’s defeat to Brighton could prove the tipping point and persuade Benitez to hand his best passer and crosser the keys to the midfield for Sunday’s St James’ Park showdown. Hayden and Merino don’t have Shelvey’s quality on the ball. Not many Premier League central midfielders do. But, the question remains: can Benitez trust him?