OPINION
Newcastle United defender Florian Lejeune looked like he had never been away when he stepped back into the first team fold in February after a lengthy knee injury.
The 27-year-old returned to his normal self almost straight away, and it was like he had been in the first team all season. Except he had not, which goes to show what a professional he is.
After that game, he could not really put a foot wrong in the central defence. He has kept the likes of Federico Fernandez out too after showing Rafa Benitez that he was as good as was before his setback.
However, in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth last Saturday, the Frenchman did not look his usual self. He looked like a deer in the headlights when the Cherries piled most of their players forward, and he really just could not handle it. Strange to see from a player who has excelled against the likes of Manchester City this season.
Nevertheless, if the £38,000-a-week [Spotrac] senior player is selected to start against Arsenal a week on Monday, he must step up to the plate or Benitez will not be afraid to brutally axe him from the starting XI. He has done it before with some senior players, and he will not fear doing it again if necessary.
It was a shame to see Lejeune struggle so much after how far he has come in this campaign. Bournemouth really got to him last weekend and it will be hard to shake that off. He will have to try that though, otherwise he will just bring the team down and hamper their efforts.
There is no denying that he is a talented player – he is. He is just suffering from a slight dip in form, and he will need to change his ways for the last stretch of the season.
