Ayoze Perez has suggested that Newcastle United’s youthful squad could be a reason for the Magpies’ Premier League struggles.
Only nine of the Toon Army’s playing staff are over the age of 28, with their lowest average starting age for the a match this season being just 26 years and 30 days.
Rafa Benitez’s side currently lie 15th in the table, four points clear of safety.
Speaking to NUFC TV, as quoted in the Chronicle, Perez said: “I know we could be better, we were really good years ago, but it’s time to stick together and fight for survival.
“It is a young group of players, and sometimes means mentally we make mistakes, and in football if you are not focused then you pay for it.
“We have received criticism, that is true, but this is a big club, a really big club. and people have been used to being in much better positions but right now we where we are.
“We have a squad with good players, and obviously have the quality to survive, and that is what we have to fight for right now.”
OPINION
Newcastle have a lot of problems, and a youthful side is just one of them. In the right circumstances, youth can be a good thing, and can bring a fearlessness and energy to a side. When results are going against you on a regular basis, however, as they are with Newcastle, experience and level headedness can be the order of the day, and the Magpies lack both far too often. The Toon Army look as if they lack a real leader on the pitch most of the time. Captain Jamaal Lascelles has struggled for fitness and form so far this campaign, and when he is taken out of the equation, Benitez’s side look a little lost. Newcastle are crying out for somebody to take them by the scruff of the neck and drag them through matches, but it’s not easy to see who that player is, and even with a January transfer window ahead of them, they might struggle to find the man they need to inspire them in time.