Newcastle winger Christian Atsu is impressing his manager Rafa Benitez after the Spaniard says he has been happy with the player’s form since his return from the African Cup of Nations with Ghana.
The 24 year old is on loan from Chelsea until the end of the season, and the Magpies boss is quoted as saying that even though no decision has been made about his future beyond the end of the campaign, every performance from the winger will help make up his mind:
“His future is very clear. We have plenty of time, so no problem. He is doing well. He was doing well before, and after playing a lot of games in the Africa Cup of Nations, he has come back and regained his form little by little. That is quite good. We are really pleased with him. Hopefully, he can play well until the end.”
Newcastle reportedly have an option to buy the winger but he is still not a first team regular which could harm his chances of getting a permanent move to Tyneside.
Matt Ritchie and Yoan Gouffran have generally been favoured to play in the wide positions by Benitez. In 23 appearances this season, the Ghanaian has started ten matches, scoring three goals and providing one assist.
Since he returned from the African Cup of Nations in February, he has made three starts in seven matches, including the crucial wins against Brighton and Huddersfield, before returning to the bench for the draw against Reading last time out.
