OPINION
Despite several injuries in the position, Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has yet to experience a crisis in central midfield – although he can count himself pretty lucky in that regard.
That’s because Sean Longstaff and Isaac Hayden have risen to the challenge of anchoring the middle of the pitch, producing performances far beyond what anyone could have expected from them.
Their emergence means that sidelined star Ki Sung-yueng is going to seriously struggle to get back into the team once he returns from injury. The South Korean had to come back from the Asian Cup early due to injury, and is yet to play for his club side since his return.
In fact, Ki is yet to feature for the Magpies since facing Fulham towards the end of 2018. In that time, Longstaff and Hayden have solidified themselves as key parts of Benitez’s plans.
Mohamed Diame has been a regular starter when fit for Benitez this campaign, meaning that he can be expected to come straight back into the reckoning on his return. That already pits three players ahead of Ki in the reckoning, without mentioning Jonjo Shelvey.
Longstaff is a more creative, if inexperienced, presence than Ki. He does more with the ball and is certainly more proactive, with the 30-year-old occasionally guilty of being too passive in possession.
Hayden, meanwhile, is the most natural defensive midfielder in the Newcastle squad, something that Benitez needs considering how often his side are forced into all-out defensive mode.
So with so much competition for places, and with two players emerging from the shadows to become key players, Ki has been left in the St James’ Park shade somewhat over the last month. He’s going to find it seriously tough to regain his status as a starter once he returns.
