OPINION
Newcastle United loanee star Kenedy certainly has a lot to answer for after kicking out at Cardiff City’s Victor Camarasa on Saturday afternoon.
His retaliation on the Cardiff midfielder was certainly uncalled for and totally unnecessary, but BBC Sport have reported that the 22-year-old has escaped a retrospective ban after the 0-0 draw on the weekend.
This decision is somewhat shocking for what seemed a blatant piece of violent conduct, but the Football Association have deemed the matter dealt with after referee Craig Pawson awarded a free-kick as a result of the foul.
Even though he would have missed the next game against Chelsea – his parent club – the attacker is very lucky to get away with such unacceptable behaviour.
He did not make the greatest of impacts against the newly-promoted side – his woeful antics saw him fail to complete a single pass in the first half, as well as missing a penalty in stoppage time that could have claimed all three points for the Magpies.
However, the Brazilian must use this decision in order to make a fresh start against Manchester City on 1st September, where he will be eligible to play once again.
He needs to use his lucky escape to prove to boss Rafa Benitez that he can control his temper and play under the pressure of winning more points.
United are most certainly in need of a win, and if they do not achieve that against the Blues, then they will have to attempt once again against City when Kenedy is allowed to feature.
The young ace needs to use the time between now and his next match to improve on what went wrong against Cardiff, as he is most definitely capable of much more than he demonstrated on Saturday.
Fans want to see what they witnessed in their season opener against Tottenham – a player capable of running the midfield along with providing a genuine attacking threat.
If he concentrates on improving on Saturday’s performance, then the United faithful will be full of hope that this can still be a successful season for the Magpies.
Avoiding a ban for his irrational behaviour may just be the kick he needs to get his head into gear and deliver the performances we all know he is capable of reigniting.
