OPINION
Newcastle United fell to a 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley on Wednesday evening, with the Magpies unlucky to come away with nothing after a much-improved display.
Some poor finishing let Rafa Benitez’s men down, and Harry Kane’s goal after 50 minutes ended up being enough to get Tottenham over the line for a win which saw them qualify for the Champions League.
The Newcastle starting XI for the match was about as strong as Benitez can muster at the moment, but eagle-eyed observers will have noticed something interesting on the bench.
Massadio Haidara, who has made just one senior appearance all season for the Magpies, was handed a spot on the bench at Wembley in a rare move from Benitez.
The rarely-seen 25-year-old also graced the substitute ranks in Newcastle’s last game against Watford, but has been denied even that chance for much of the season.
Haidara has been handed a place in the squad just seven times all season in the Premier League, with the left-sided flyer left out completely a massive 21 times as he has languished in the reserves.
His inclusion on Wednesday interestingly meant there was no place in the squad for Chancel Mbemba, who is another that has been afforded few chances to impress this term.
Ahead of the Magpies’ final game of the season against Chelsea this Sunday, it looks very much as though Haidara will be on the way out of the club this summer.
However, Benitez needs to hand Haidara one last shot to save his Newcastle career, and he must unleash him on the left flank against Chelsea in place of Kenedy, who is ineligible to play his parent club.
It is easy to forget how impressive Haidara looked for Newcastle before he suffered a major dip in confidence following a horror challenge from Wigan’s Callum McManaman that left him sidelined for a while.
His powerful and high-energy displays down the left flank were a big asset for Newcastle, and it is a shame his career has been so blighted by injuries since.
The speedy left-back looks like he could still have something to offer the Magpies, and he must be given the chance to show that on Sunday, with his appearance on the left sure to cause havoc at St. James’ Park.
