Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has admitted that the Magpies are still searching for the ideal left back to provide competition for Paul Dummett.
Benitez’s side have been left short handed by an injury to the Wales international in recent weeks, laying bare the team’s need for fresh faces at left back come the January transfer window.
The likes of Kenedy and Javier Manquillo have filled in for Dummett of late, but the 27-year-old remains the club’s first choice left back without any real competition for his place.
Benitez is cognisant of that fact: “It’s a position we have been looking at for a while but still we haven’t found someone ideal for this position,” he told the Chronicle.
OPINION
Newcastle fans will be glad to hear Benitez say this because it’s been clear for a while that the team needs another competent left back, and that’s been spelled out in giant neon letters over the past few weeks. The former Liverpool boss has been scrambling to find a solution at the position with Dummett out injured and, while they’ve coped OK, it’s seen the Magpies line up with someone playing out of position on the left hand side of the defence. That’s not good enough for a Premier League outfit and it’s vital that Benitez brings in someone else come January. For a club the size of Newcastle they should be looking at someone to take the starting spot from Dummett not just compete with him. The Welshman is a decent player but he’s far from elite, and Newcastle could do with a top quality full back on that flank to help take the team to the next level.
