OPINION
Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez has had his attacking options increased over the course of this summer’s transfer window, with the likes of Salomon Rondon and Yoshinori Muto making the move to Tyneside.
However, during their 2-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, the Magpies were not ruthless enough in their attack to get themselves back in to the game.
Benitez must now give winger Jacob Murphy the chance to force his way into the first team, ready for their next match against Cardiff.
The Chronicle report that the 23-year-old – who is on £25,000 a week [Spotrac] – appears to be fourth choice winger at the moment behind Kenedy, Matt Ritchie and Christian Atsu.
There is no doubting that Kenedy is one of the first names on the team sheet for Cardiff, but Benitez must seriously consider Murphy to give the team another dimension to their attack.
Atsu made a cameo appearance in Saturday’s season opener, but he was not at his best, giving the ball away easily and handing Spurs the opportunity to run the midfield.
The former Norwich flyer must be considered ahead of Atsu based on his display in order to offer something different to the attack, as Benitez really needs to start winning soon or lose ground on his rivals.
After making the move from the Canaries last year, the start of the 2017/2018 campaign was not one of his best – but come December and January, he really proved what he could do and he established himself as a regular in the first team, making 25 league appearances.
Murphy has only had one shot at the Premier League so it would be unfair to determine his fate on this alone.
Benitez needs to give the team options on the right flank, and he would provide the perfect competition for Matt Ritchie in this position with his pace, which the team seem to lack
The boss must hand the speedster the chance against Cardiff in order to give the team another dimension to their attack.
