OPINION
Newcastle United defender Federico Fernandez is facing a long way back to Rafael Benitez’s good books after his fall from grace was confirmed by his Arsenal snub on Monday.
The Argentine started at centre back in place of injured captain Jamaal Lascelles in the team’s previous game against Bournemouth, but clearly didn’t do anywhere near enough to convince Benitez of his worth.
It was a quick return to obscurity for the the former Swansea City man on Monday, as Lascelles was swiftly returned to the starting line up at the Emirates Stadium.
That begs the question of where does that leave Fernandez? Nowhere good is the answer. It’s essentially been confirmed by Benitez that the 30-year-old is fifth at best in his centre back rankings at the moment.
Clearly Lascelles, Fabian Schar, Florian Lejeune and Paul Dummett are ahead of him in the pecking order and you only have to look at the last few games to see that. Fernandez, then, is suddenly scrapping it out with Ciaran Clark to be the team’s fifth best centre half.
That’s quite a fall from grace for a player who was thought to be the team’s best defender during the first half of the season. The wheels have well and truly fallen off for the Argentine, and it’s debatable as to whether he’s ever going to recover at St James’ Park.
It’s hard to picture him getting past Lascelles, Schar and Lejeune any time soon. Those three are obviously Benitez’s first choice trio when they’re all available. Dummett, as well, offers more week-to-week reliability than Fernandez, as well as being more versatile.
It would be no surprise, then, to see the summer signing facing an uncertain future on Tyneside this summer. His Arsenal snub has set the tone – it’s going to be very difficult for him to work his way back now.
