Newcastle United winger Christian Atsu has confirmed he is still struggling with his fitness after suffering an injury blow which saw him undergo surgery earlier this year.
The Ghanaian international, who is currently with his country as they prepare for their African Cup of Nations qualifiers during the two week break from league action, went under the knife at the end of last season to fix a knee problem which had been plaguing him.
However, the long-term injury problem has left him fighting to try and regain his fitness and four months into the season he has revealed that he is still not at his peak performance.
He told the Northern Echo: “I need to give everything and work harder because, at the start of the season, I was not in good shape.
“I am still getting my fitness back to where I want it to be. It has been more difficult to recover than I thought it would be. To be fair, it has been very difficult to come back from the injury.”
Opinion
So this is why Atsu has not been seen too often by the Toon Army. Many on Tyneside would have thought his poor performances when he has been given the chance would be the reason behind his fall from grace at St James’ Park but this makes a lot of sense, including why he has not looked like the marauding winger the Newcastle faithful had become accustomed to seeing. As someone who relies on his pace and energy to make an impact, a knee injury is always going to be a problematic injury to suffer but four months to fully recover – which he has admitted has not happened – is still an awful long time. Is he really dedicating himself, or are their other problems which are affecting his ability to make the step up? Only he and the staff at St James’ Park will know, and while he might not be a firm favourite of the fans, Rafael Benitez would rather have him available than struggling. Why he has gone on international duty will baffle the manager, when it could be a time to focus on returning for the Magpies.