Newcastle United defender Achraf Lazaar has revealed that many of his teammates are against the treatment handed to him by manager Rafael Benitez as he is exiled from the first team both on and off the pitch.
The 26-year-old Moroccan international, a summer signing back in 2016, has failed to establish himself in the first team at St James’ Park and after being sent on loan last season, has returned to Tyneside to be left out from the senior setup.
Speaking about being cast out, as he trains with the reserves and youngsters, Lazaar revealed most of those in the senior side firmly disagree with Benitez’s approach and believe he should be given a first team chance.
He told Calciomercato: “It’s not a good moment for me, I arrived at Newcastle to show what I can do and to improve but things are going differently. Honestly, I am very sorry but I accept this situation, I am training with the second team and I play in the reserve championship.
“Sometimes I train on my own after the end of training sessions to improve my level, that’s the only thing I can do if I want to improve because I am not playing Premier League games.”
“I spoke with my team-mates, they say he (Benitez) is fine (with the situation). I am sorry the team is not doing well especially because a lot of my team-mates would like me to be part of the team. I usually speak with them but the only thing I can do is accept the situation.”
Opinion
While keeping Lazaar out of the picture is hardly going to cause an uproar from the players at St James’ Park, it does suggest that they feel he could play his part in the first team should he be given the chance by Benitez. Be it stubbornness or simply a lack of belief in the Moroccan’s talents, it does not seem as though the Spaniard is about to change his mind any time soon, although an injury crisis might just bring him back into the fray. Still, his future on Tyneside looks dead in the water and the only way to progress seems to be by sealing his permanent exit from the club. There might be some disappointment among the ranks behind the scenes but the fans are not going to lose any sleep over it, for he has not done enough to show that he is worthy of a place in the team. Perhaps before the winter transfer window his extra efforts in training will earn him one last chance, but you would not want to be holding your breath over it.