OPINION
Newcastle United have some very winnable games coming up over the festive period and Rafa Benitez must keep Kenedy far away from his line-up to give his side the best chance of winning.
The 22-year-old showed his true colours against Wolves despite featuring for only the final two minutes of the clash as he showed no desire to put in the work to help his team hang on to a 1-1 draw.
The Magpies were reduced to 10 men during that match and Kenedy’s teammates ahead of him entering the game, were battling away to keep their side earning point while also making runs to try and steal a win.
Yet despite being fresh from the bench, Kenedy’s brief cameo showed he could not be relied upon.
The 22-year-old winger firstly carelessly lost the ball, which appeared to have Benitez raging on the sidelines, and then didn’t track his man in the build up to Wolves’ Matt Doherty scoring the winning goal at the death to see his side win 2-1.
In fact Kenedy even appeared to be jogging back during the build-up to the goal and when you consider he should be one of the fittest players on the pitch after coming on, you have to question either his attitude or his decision making.
Given that the Brazilian has previously proven his quality again and again in regards to his decision making, he clearly doesn’t have the desire to go that extra mile for the Magpies at the moment.
The Magpies are set to face Premier League strugglers Huddersfield Town and Fulham in their next couple of games and Benitez must axe Kenedy from his squad for these fixtures as both these teams will be fighting for their lives.
The Brazilian clearly won’t be able to match his opponents’ level of desire and this could see him be a liability despite his talent.
Also while the game on Boxing Day against Liverpool isn’t one that can be described as winnable on paper, Kenedy must sit that one out too as Jurgen Klopp’s team could run rings around him.
Therefore while Benitez’s squad isn’t massive, he does have the players to cover for Kenedy’s absence and after the Brazilian’s cameo appearance against Wolves, he deserves a spell on the sidelines.
