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da bet esporte： Jonjo Shelvey was an unused substitute in Newcastle United’s 3-2 home defeat to Liverpool on Saturday night, and there has been a lot of speculation surrounding the midfielder’s long-term future at St James’ Park.
The Magpies missed his creativity against the Reds, though, and there is still a role to play for the former Charlton Athletic youngster moving forward.
The Chalkboard
It was not a surprise that Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez left Shelvey out of his starting XI for the clash with Liverpool on Saturday.
Indeed, Ki Sung-Yong joined Isaac Hayden in the middle of the park as the home side looked to outwork their title-challenging opponents.
Ki and Hayden both did a decent job in the engine room, but there is no question that the Magpies missed that little bit of creativity in the areas behind Salomon Rondon.
That was particularly true with Miguel Almiron missing through injury, whilst a 5-4-1 formation meant that three central midfielders was not an option.
Shelvey would have been desperate to face his former club on Saturday; it wasn’t to be, but the midfielder can still have a big role for Newcastle moving forward.
A season to forget
It has not been a good season for Shelvey, who has appeared in just 15 of Newcastle’s 37 Premier League matches this term.
Just one goal and one assist in 17 games in all competitions shows his struggles, and his 73 minutes against Brighton & Hove Albion on April 27 was the most that he had played in a single league game since the end of October.
A niggling thigh injury has harmed Shelvey’s campaign, but there is no question that Benitez wants more work from the 27-year-old when Newcastle are without the ball.
On his day, Shelvey can be absolutely devastating. There are few players in the Premier League with his range of passing, whilst he is certainly capable of hitting the eight to 10 mark in terms of goals each season.
It has been suggested that the 6ft ace could move on this summer, but he is a player still capable of playing a huge role for Newcastle, who are not exactly a team full of forward-thinking central midfielders.