Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has revealed an attempt to bring back Achraf Lazaar from his failed loan spell at Serie A strugglers Benevento.
Winger Lazaar departed on a season-long loan to the Serie A newcomers at the beginning of this campaign, but the temporary deal has not gone to plan at all.
The 26-year-old Morocco international has made just nine appearances for Benevento since the summer, and was left out of their squad for the second half of the season.
Benitez has now revealed that he spoke to Lazaar’s agent to try and work out a deal to bring him back from his loan early, but such a move was not possible, and he is expected to move back in the summer.
As quoted by the Chronicle, Benitez said: “I feel for him. When you go away and you think everything is fine it is hard. He was injured for some time and that went against him. We can’t change anything now. We are aware of him but we can’t do anything.
“I was talking with his agent the other day. We know about his situation but we can’t find a solution. They signed Bacary Sagna and they needed one position changed. Sagna is a player with experienced and they decided on him not being in the squad.
“It’s something that we can’t control. We have signed Kenedy so we couldn’t bring him back.”
The situation may have put paid to Lazaar’s ambitions of heading to the World Cup with Morocco, for whom he has made 17 appearances.
It is reported that Benevento’s coach Roberto De Zerbi does not rate the 26-year-old, and the club will not take up an option to buy him for £3million at the end of the season, so Lazaar is expected to return to Tyneside.
OPINION
It is a shame for Lazaar that his World Cup dream has seemingly been taken away from him. His move to Benevento looked a promising one, but it has unfortunately not turned out that way. UEFA rules have meant he has been unable to move on from Benevento, and he will now just spend the next three months rotting on the sidelines. When he returns to Newcastle this summer it is unclear what the club will want to do, but it is likely that he will be shipped on again in a permanent deal.