Newcastle United’s Achraf Lazaar and Henri Saivet are due back at the club after loan spells away in the 2017/18 season and could be told to report to the club’s Under-23 training base, according to the Chronicle.
The local newspaper state that Rafa Benitez could be working with a squad of just 18 outfield players for day one of pre-season due to lack of new signings, departures and players having extended periods away due to the World Cup.
The Chronicle report that despite Benitez having a small squad to work with currently, the two players could be told to report to the U23’s squad alongside Adam Armstrong who is returning from a successful spell at Blackburn Rovers.
It was previously claimed in a report by the Chronicle that the Magpies manager was set to decide whether to use the 21-year-old forward as part of his senior squad for pre-season or send him to work with the club’s academy.
OPINION
Saivet and Lazaar had to train with the U-23s during pre-season last summer so it’s no surprise that Benitez is still not keen on having them around his senior squad. Saviet, 27, spent the second half of his latest campaign on loan at Turkish side Sivasspor and made several appearances for them but it’s clear he needs to leave St James Park as soon as possible. The attacking midfielder may have only made eight appearances for the club but it’s clear he’s never going to be able to play at the standard required of him. Lazaar,26, being sent to the U-23s also makes sense as his recent temporary spell at Italian side Benevento was far from a dream for the left-back as he struggled to make a positive impression. However Benitez must look to hand Armstrong a shot in pre-season this summer as the promising forward may only have impressed in League One last season but he showed a clinical coolness in front of goal that could be nurtured to see him succeed for the Magpies.
