Newcastle United fans have been reacting to news coming out surrounding defender Federico Fernandez.
The 32-year-old has been a mainstay in the Newcastle squad over the past few years, starting 32 games in all competitions for them in 2019/20, 25 games in 2020/21 and five games this season, but has found himself either on the bench or out of the squad completely for the past three games despite not carrying an injury.
And despite apparently being a fan of him as a defender, current Newcastle interim manager Graeme Jones appears to have some rather peculiar selection methods with regards to the Argentine.
He was recently quoted as saying: “I really like Fede as a defender, but I didn’t see any value in putting him on the bench. If you’re winning, you’re not going to put him on, and if you’re losing, you’re not going to put him on. Fede needs to start – or not.”
These comments were relayed to fans by journalist Lee Ryder and local newspaper The Chronicle on their respective Twitter pages, where it led to some interesting responses, with many seemingly baffled that he wasn’t being selected in any form:
“Total joke !!!”
Do you think Fernandez will feature before the end of the season?
Yes, we need him
No, he won't
With the club rumoured to be making a move for Burnley defender James Tarkowski in the upcoming transfer window, Fernandez’s recent absence from the first team might perhaps be an indicator that his time at the club could be coming to an end, with the Burnley man set to take his place if and when he makes the move to Tyneside.
In other news: ‘This is awful’, ‘Sunday League level’ – Many NUFC fans left seething as ‘shameful’ clip emerges