Matt Ritchie
Ritchie has looked a revitalised player in recent weeks and continued his good form by grabbing an assist against former club Bournemouth, following on from scoring the winning goal in that incredible win over Manchester United.
The addition of Kenedy has ramped up competition for places in wide areas and Ritchie has responded in the best possible way after being dropped to the bench for consecutive matches against Manchester City and Burnley at the end of January.
On the basis of current form, the Scotland international deserves to keep his place ahead of Christian Atsu and the ever-improving Jacob Murphy after underlining why he remains one of Rafa Benitez’s most trusted senior players during February.
Benitez is expected to rein in the attacking side of United’s game and hit Liverpool on the counter, meaning Ritchie will required to work in tandem with Deandre Yedlin to curtail the threat of Andrew Robinson and Sadio Mane down the right flank. The 28-year-old’s defensive instincts are without question, but it’s from his dead-ball expertise that Newcastle may just profit – as his six assists in the Premier League this season demonstrate.
