Newcastle left-back Antonio Barreca has sent a humorous Instagram message to Rafa Benitez on Wednesday afternoon.
The message reads simply, “Eh Newcastle United, I’m here too! Have you forgotten!?” Barreca signed off with a ‘thinking’ emoji and included a picture of him in training.
Barreca joined Newcastle from Monaco on loan in the January window but has made just one appearance that totalled four minutes.
According to Transfermarkt, Newcastle paid a £1million loan fee for the 24-year-old.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvzOWstFz5F/
OPINION
Hmm, when things aren’t going well at a club, the very last thing we’d recommend is sending a social media message. But Barreca is already looking like one of the oddest signings by a club that don’t have money to burn. Barreca wasn’t signed as a first-choice player by all accounts but it does seem strange that he’s not made the squad for the last seven games since his four-minute cameo. He’s obviously fit and raring to go, judging by his message, but that’s seemingly not enough to get him a look-in. Perhaps when Newcastle are mathematically safe he might get a run-out but it would seem that he doesn’t have much of a future at the club, and they would surely be unlikely to take up their reported £8million option on the player. Matt Ritchie has been impressing at left wing-back and that seems to have done for Barreca, but judging by his Insta post today he’s not going to take it lying down. Quite how this will go down with Benitez is anyone’s guess, but we’d hazard a guess – not too well.