OPINION
Newcastle United attacker Christian Atsu has remarkably improved his form in his recent outings and he must seize the opportunity to complete his remarkable turnaround by taking advantaging on playing Premier League strugglers Fulham.
The 26-year-old has regularly looked out of his depth for the Magpies when featuring for them in the Premier League but in his recent outings he has proved his worth to Rafa Benitez.
In his 2017/18 campaign, Atsu appeared 28 times in England’s top-flight, managing to only score two while registering just two assists, and looked in need of replacing.
Due to the winger struggling to look comfortable in the Premier League, due to making incorrect decisions or being sloppy in possession, it led to him not being a regular name on the teamsheet by the time the 2018/19 season got underway.
Atsu played only 57 minutes of the Magpies’ first five league games this season and he didn’t exactly make the most of his minutes, which likely led to fans not caring about his exclusion.
With Benitez clearly looking to move the club forward, you feel if Mike Ashley had handed the manager a bigger transfer budget, Atsu may have been brushed aside and a capable replacement brought in to take his place.
Yet his last three outings, everything seems to be going right for the winger and he looks a much-improved player all of sudden.
The 26-year-old may not have an assist or goal for his efforts from his outings against Everton, Huddersfield Town or Wolves but he has looked a handful in all of those games.
Not only has Atsu started using his skill set well, he hasn’t lost the ball as much as he normally does and seems capable of no longer being a liability.
This improvement seems to have come out of nowhere and he could prove himself against Fulham even more and put any idea that his future lies away from the Premier League or St James Park beyond doubt.
The Cottagers have looked defensively vulnerable to say the least all season, they’ve conceded 42 goals in 17 league games, and Atsu could easily tear them apart if on song.
The 26-year-old is more capable of using pace and attacking flair to hurt a side and given that Fulham don’t seem to be able to stop shipping goals, Atsu could exploit them.
With a headline-worth performance Atsu’s remarkable turnaround would be complete and his future would put beyond doubt.
