Newcastle United defender Florian Lejeune will potentially make his return against Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup clash on January 5.
United boss Rafa Benitez admitted that there is a chance he could feature in this third round clash at St James’ Park, but also admitted that it is important not to rush his return too much as the team are not short of centre-back options.
The Magpies star has 45 minutes under his belt this season after playing in a game with the under-23s in early December, and since then, he has been training regularly.
“He was playing with the U23s, 45 minutes and he did well. He is training everyday, so he could be playing tomorrow but the problem we have is that we have too many centre-backs, and we don’t need to risk him,” Benitez said, as quoted by the Chronicle.
“Maybe, it is a chance for him in the FA Cup because he is training normally.”
OPINION
Benitez is right – it is important not to rush Florian Lejeune into action too soon, especially with the number of centre-backs at the Spaniard’s disposal at the moment. All of them are top-quality centre-backs and they could all fill in if need be – so it remains to be seen just where Lejeune would fit into all of this. There is no denying that he is a quality defender, but this area of the pitch is no doubt Newcastle’s most crowded right now. Competition will be rife, and seeming as the other defenders have had plenty of game time this season, Lejeune is going to find it hard to nail down a first team place on a regular basis. Playing in FA Cup matches is probably his best bet, as they will give him the minutes he so desperately needs in the starting XI. However, the fact he is training normally will obviously be a boost to the team either way.