Newcastle United handed their Premier League survival hopes a significant boost yesterday, as the Magpies ended an eight-match winless streak at St. James’ Park by beating Manchester United 1-0 on Tyneside.
A lot of players caught the eye in the victory for Rafael Benitez’s side but it was the performance of Jonjo Shelvey that got a lot of people talking, with the England hopeful putting in a stellar shift that led to a forgettable afternoon for Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba- both of whom were substituted immediately after Shelvey started the move for the only goal of the game.
It wasn’t just the creative aspects of Shelvey’s play that were superb though, as the combative midfielder was also forced to do the dirty work in the midfield battle alongside Mohamed Diame, breaking up attacks with tackles and putting Manchester United’s players under pressure.
Shelvey came up triumphant though, frustrating Pogba who was formerly the most expensive player of the world, and his performance shows that England boss Gareth Southgate seriously needs to consider taking the former Liverpool man to the World Cup.
England’s midfield, particularly in a deeper role, lacks significant depth and ability, with the likes of Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson uninspiring with their performances and not covering themselves in the best of light.
Sat in front of the defensive line, Shelvey can provide a huge improvement to the Three Lions for the World Cup in Russia and his performance against Manchester United proves exactly what he can provide- a blanket to the defence and the link to start attacks.
If Shelvey doesn’t make the World Cup with these sort of performances, then it’s proof the England regime is a joke.
