A lot of Newcastle United fans have flocked to a tweet that was recently posted by Toon reporter Miles Starforth in which he relayed the news that midfielder Jonjo Shelvey is set to be sidelined until after the next international break as he is having a hernia operation.
As per Sky Sports, Toon manager Steve Bruce confirmed this news about the £13.05m-rated midfielder after Newcastle’s 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday – a game that Shelvey was absent for.
So, how did these Newcastle United fans react to Starforth’s tweet sharing this news about Shelvey?
Jonjo Shelvey will have a hernia operation tomorrow, and be sidelined until after the next international break. #nufc
— Miles Starforth (@milesstarforth) October 25, 2020
One particular Toon fan shared some concern over this injury, indicating that they don’t think the North East club’s other midfield options are as good as Shelvey, while another Newcastle supporter wished the 28-year-old midfielder well.
Maybe if we had some quality to replace him with, but we don’t. An out of form, injured Shelvey is still levels above the rest of our midfield options
— niall (@gxldsg) October 25, 2020
Get well soon shelvey
— Rebel_warrior (@uttamkaul) October 26, 2020
However, plenty of Newcastle fans shared some harsh reactions to this news, with some stating that they think the team will be better off with Shelvey on the sidelines and one particular Toon supporter slamming the player’s work ethic in response to this tweet.
No offence and I wish no ill on any player but him out of the side for a while isn’t necessarily a bad thing
— Matt marchant (@Mattmarchant7) October 25, 2020
That might actually be a good thing
— Stuart Paterson (@Stui_86) October 25, 2020
Great news
— Norm (@Rattles57970726) October 25, 2020
Shame they couldn’t operate on his work ethic at the same time
— d.straughan (@dstraughan2) October 25, 2020
Have you been impressed with Shelvey this season?
YES
NO
As can be seen in these Newcastle fans’ replies to this tweet, it certainly seems as though Shelvey isn’t a very popular man with a portion of the North East club’s fanbase.
However, we feel it’s quite harsh for people who claim to be supporters of the club to react in this way to the news of an injury to one of the club’s players, particularly when it’s arguable that Shelvey has been enjoying quite a positive 2020/21 campaign.
As per WhoScored, the 28-year-old has played the joint-highest number of key passes (1.2) and the second-highest number of long balls (5.4), completed the third-highest number of dribbles (1.2) and completed the fifth-highest number of tackles (1.6) per Premier League game of any Newcastle player this season.
Shelvey has also earned the joint-fourth-highest overall WhoScored rating of any Toon player (6.86/10) in the league this term. So, with that in mind, maybe the Toon will struggle more than these fans seem to think without him in their side.