Rafa Benitez insists that midfielder Jonjo Shelvey is still ‘learning’ to do the right things on the pitch for Newcastle.
Magpies supporters have seen the best and worst of Shelvey this season, with the 2-2 draw at Bournemouth last Saturday a microcosm of his two-year spell in a black and white shirt and his career in general.
The 26-year-old drew criticism from Frank Lampard for not switching on defensively as Bournemouth chased a route back into the game, despite providing the pass that led to Dwight Gayle’s first goal and playing an integral role in helping Newcastle to control much of the game.
And Benitez revealed Shelvey is trying especially hard to cut those sort of lapses out of his game by discussing his strengths and weaknesses with the United boss.
“I talk to him a lot of times, every session, for me he is learning and it is a question of him being able to manage situations and all the pressure of people watching him and analysing his behaviour,” Benitez told the Northern Echo. “Hopefully he will carry on and keep doing what he wants to do.
“I tried to trust him from the beginning in terms of his game, the way he manages his life, we have spoken about these things for a while.
“One thing is he loves football, doesn’t miss a session, he wants to win and see his teammates play well, sometimes he makes mistakes and that’s something he has to manage. We have seen he is focused and trying to do the right things.”
Benitez is sweating on the fitness of his key midfielder after Shelvey hurt his knee against Bournemouth and is awaiting the results of a secondary scan on the injury.
