Newcastle full-back Achraf Lazaar has been frozen out at Italian side Benevento to free up space in the squad for ex-Arsenal and Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna.
Lazaar, signed by Rafa Benitez from Palermo for £2 million in 2016, returned to Italy in the summer after failing to displace Paul Dummett as Magpies’ first-choice left back, joining Benevento on a season-long loan.
But after 9 league appearances and one goal for Serie A’s bottom club, the Chronicle are reporting that the Moroccan international has been excluded from the 25-man squad by boss Roberto De Zerbi, who swiftly made it clear he didn’t rate Lazaar after replacing Marco Baroni in October.
It seems that the signing of 35-year-old Sagna is the catalyst that led to Lazaar being exiled from the first-team picture, with De Zerbi needing to make room in his squad for the the former France international joining who joined on a free transfer.
De Zerbi is also understood to harbour concerns about Lazaar’s fitness following an injury that kept the 26-year-old sidelined from November.
It means that Lazaar will return to Newcastle for pre-season training in July with no senior football under his belt during the second half of the season and it’s unknown if Benitez is able to recall a player he struggled to move on permanently last summer.
