OPINION
Jonjo Shelvey has had a contrasting couple of seasons at Newcastle United.
The England international has never been able to secure a consistent spot in the heart of midfield no matter who the manager is, and that doesn’t look like changing any time soon.
Under Rafael Benitez, Shelvey only made 10 starts in the Premier League last season as he never looked like being able to consistently make an impact in front of the likes of Isaac Hayden.
After starting the first two games of the season under Steve Bruce, the midfielder was placed on the bench for the win against Tottenham and the draw against Watford.
Sean Longstaff took his place after returning from injury, but another problem led to Shelvey being reintroduced in the heart of midfield.
Simply put, Shelvey hasn’t been good enough and doesn’t deserve to start games at this moment in time, with players such as Longstaff much more deserving of a spot.
Bruce confirmed ahead of the game against Leicester on Sunday, that the 27-year-old will miss two weeks of action with a hamstring injury.
Shelvey shouldn’t be too much of a miss for the Magpies, with his defensive capabilities having let down his side on many separate occasions.
The midfielder has only averaged 0.5 tackles and interceptions per game according to WhoScored, stats that are nowhere near good enough as it puts too much pressure on Bruce’s defence to bail him out of trouble if he is easily bypassed.
After that, Bruce also revealed that Longstaff has returned to full fitness for the game at the King Power Stadium, and the youngster will surely have the chance to cement his first-team spot alongside Hayden.
Longstaff, on the other hand, has been a revelation since breaking into the first team, averaging 1.8 tackles and only being dribbled past a single time per game [WhoScored], as he proves to be much more reliable than Shelvey in the holding midfield role.
The 21-year-old will now get the chance to cement his place in midfield in Shelvey’s absence, and the more-experienced Magpie shouldn’t expect a place back in the side once his recovers in a fortnight.
