Newcastle midfielder Kenedy has held behind-the-scenes talks with manager Rafa Benitez after a recent slump in form.
Benitez has confirmed that his parent club Chelsea have been watching him after a recent decline in form, but admits that the loanee still has the potential to do well after holding a number of conversations with the 23-year-old.
The Spaniard says that Kenedy now needs to start reaching the same level he was at last year, adding that he has been receiving a lot of guidance to reach that form again.
“Kenedy is another player training well. Everyone can see his potential. This year he has to reach his level again. He is working to do that. We want to give him his chance,” Benitez said, as quoted by the Mirror.
“Now he has to start again. Chelsea are following him. We have been talking. They know he is not playing at the same level. They can see him when he comes on the pitch.
“He has the potential. We have seen it ourselves. We had had a lot of conversations, watching videos, talking with him and people close to him to be sure he is focused. My staff have very good communications with him.”
OPINION
It is a shame to have seen Kenedy undergo such a decline in form recently, but the fact that he has been holding talks with Benitez shows his willingness to get back on track. The manager said he did not want Kenedy to return back to Chelsea in January and many fans would have been baffled why this was the case. However, he should be grateful that Benitez still has a lot of faith in him and is willing to work alongside the midfielder to help him improve. Kenedy has been a shadow of the player that he was last season for Newcastle, and although injury has somewhat hampered his progress slightly – despite making 23 appearances – there is still work to be done for the senior player. Benitez will be gleaming if he returns to the level that he was at last year, as that was a Kenedy that was really turning heads. Many fans will not be Kenedy’s biggest admirers at the moment – and rightly so – but they will have to be patient and see if he can pull it out of the bag.