DeAndre Yedlin started his first game of the season against Manchester United, and it looked like he’d never been away.
The defender has had serious injury bother since the end of last season, but returned to the starting lineup on Sunday. It was just his second appearance under Steve Bruce, having come off the bench in last week’s drubbing at Leicester.
Bruce has rotated his right wing-back a lot this season, flipping and flapping between Javi Manquillo and Emil Krafth. But in just one game, Yedlin proved to the manager that he’s better than both of them.
The speedster barely put a foot wrong, which is remarkable considering his lack of match fitness. His pace up and down the flank gave us another dimension going forward, and he looked a lot more comfortable on the ball than Bruce’s other two right-backs.
Krafth has had an inconsistent start to life as a Magpie, while Manquillo has been inconsistent ever since he arrived. And while Yedlin is far from perfect, he really excelled against what was a poor Manchester United side.
Even in the second half, when the wingers swapped sides and a tired Allan Saint-Maximin was in front of him, Yedlin dug in and helped his team get a valuable three points.
Bruce is getting closer to finding out his best starting XI, and Yedlin is definitely in it.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
