Newcastle United legend Malcolm Macdonald has shared that the last thing Rafa Benitez needs to deal with is having players hanging around the club who don’t want to be there.
The club legend, affectionately known as Supermac, revealed that due to this the club should sell powerhouse forward Aleksandar Mitrovic to Fulham so Benitez can bring in the players he really does want at the club.
Macdonald also revealed that in his opinion the 23-year-old Magpies forward wasn’t Premier League quality as England’s top-flight is all about possession not a physical battle like the forward prefers.
“I never really understood the way he was behaving on the pitch for Newcastle,” wrote Supermac in his column for the Chronicle.
“It was quite obvious to me that he would rather have the physical battle than winning the ball.
“In the Premier League possession is everything and he just didn’t have Premier League thinking – and I don’t think he has Premier League abilities.
“In all honesty, by going down to the Championship with Fulham, I actually think he found his level in club football. That is his level in this country.
“If Newcastle take Fulham’s money it all adds money to the pot for Rafa Benitez to bring in the players he really does want and who he feels will do well for Newcastle.
“The last thing Newcastle need is having players hanging around who don’t want to be there and who Rafa doesn’t want to be there because they can sulk and become troublemakers.”
OPINION
Supermac clearly isn’t a fan of Mitrovic and it’s easy to see as the legend shares his massive doubts about the forward’s Premier League pedigree. While the Magpies legend’s assessment of the powerhouse’s ability is debatable, he’s right to suggest that the last thing the club need are players hanging around who don’t want to be there. While the 23-year-old has been nothing but passionate during his time at St James Park if he was to continue to stay and not be rated by Benitez then he clearly would be a negative influence to keep around. After scoring 12 goals in 17 league appearances for Fulham in the 2017/18 campaign while on loan he will believe that he is ready to regularly feature for a Premier League side. Therefore being kept on the bench or in the reserves will just see him grow frustrated and potentially be a thorn in Benitez’s side behind the scenes. The Magpies, according to the London Evening Standard, have all raised the forward’s price tag with Fulham in pursuit and will be hoping to get as much money out of the Londoners as possible.
