OPINION
Newcastle United defender Federico Fernandez was handed a big chance to impress in place of the suspended Fabian Schar against Bournemouth on Saturday.
However, it’s undeniable that the Argentine very much failed in his golden opportunity. He struggled throughout the 2-2 draw at the Vitality Stadium and could be set for a quick return to the substitutes bench as a result.
He’s been out for a while through injury and loss of form, and his rustiness told on Saturday. The 30-year-old gifted the Cherries a route back into the game when he hauled down Nathan Ake in the Magpies box, with Joshua King sweeping the resulting penalty past goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
It wasn’t just that poor decision, though. Fernandez looked off his game from the first minute. He’s an experienced Premier League performer but he struggled to get going against Eddie Howe’s side.
Again, this was a huge opportunity for him to stake his claim for a first team spot moving forward. He has been excluded by the centre back partnership of Schar, Jamaal Lascelles and Florian Lejeune in recent months, and he needed to do something to change that on Saturday.
He did quite the opposite, however. His teammate Paul Dummett, on the other hand, excelled in place of Lascelles. The Welshman could now be a feature of the Newcastle team in the coming weeks, but Fernandez surely won’t.
It’s likely the former Swansea City man is set for a long stretch in Rafael Benitez’s dog house, instead, after this awful outing. He fluffed his lines big time, that’s for sure.