Some Newcastle United fans took to social media to reveal they missed Kevin Mbabu after watching him impress in his latest display for Swiss giants Young Boys.
The 23-year-old right-back scored in the second minute of the first leg of Young Boys’ Champions League qualifier against Dinamo Zagreb to help his side secure a 1-1 draw and his performance had fans confused why the Magpies ever let him go.
Rafa Benitez’s side sold Mbabu to the Young Boys in July 2017 after he managed to make only five appearances for the senior side.
The pacey right-back’s latest display had one fan claim on Twitter that as time continues to pass it is starting to look more and more likely that the Magpies had let a promising player slip away from them.
Nothing But Newcastle has rounded up some of the best tweets about Mbabu’s latest display:
Welp, as the days tick on, looks like we let one slip away. Keep up the hard work @Kevin_Baboo
— Toon Army Portland↙️↙️↙️ (@ToonArmyPDX) August 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/stevetoon24/status/1032526076751343617
That lad should have been giving a chance at #nufc
— David Shepherd (@Dave_S26) August 23, 2018
Why We let him go I have no idea
— k hogg (@KieranHogg1) August 23, 2018
@NUFC And we let this guy go? Shaking my head
— Adam NUFC ⚫️⚪️⚫️⚪️ (@adsthead) August 23, 2018
OPINION
Given that the Magpies have issues with the position of right-back, it’s no wonder fans are left questioning why the sale of Mbabu was ever sanction last summer. The 23-year-old may have been seen as a left-back while at St James Park but since exiting the club he has proven himself to be a very capable right-back who can positively affect games for his side. Mbabu has blistering pace and while he may have had several injury concerns while at the Magpies, it seems his injury record is no longer a cause for concern. As one fan alluded to in their tweet, over the last few seasons the Magpies have avoided gambling on utilising young talent in their squad and this means the likes of Mbabu didn’t get handed the opportunities they deserved. It seems like that fans will still regret not seeing their club keep Mbabu on their books but hopefully promising talents still at the Magpies will be held on to and deployed in the first-team when ready.
