Javi Manquillo got a rare start against Burnley and he certainly took his chance.
In the only change to the starting XI, the 24-year-old replaced DeAndre Yedlin at right wing-back, but the American was on the bench. This suggests that it was a tactical decision by Rafa Benitez.
Yedlin isn’t enjoying his best run of form, but was strong against Huddersfield. He played a role in both goals, but didn’t have to do a lot of defending after the Terriers went down to 10 men.
Prior to that, he really struggled at Wolves, and teams were beginning to target him as Newcastle’s weak link.
Against Burnley, Manquillo proved that Yedlin shouldn’t take his position in the starting XI for granted.
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Manquillo takes his chance
The Spanish fullback hasn’t been the best performer since arriving in 2017, often proving to be erratic with far too many lapses in concentration. This has meant that Yedlin has been largely unchallenged.
But Manquillo was much more switched on against the Clarets. He may have been brought in for his added height, and it certainly helped as the Magpies recorded another clean sheet.
With the guidance of Benitez, Manquillo was solid throughout. One of his finest moments came in the second half when he tracked Charlie Taylor all the way to the byline and stopped his cross coming into the box.
Offensively, while he isn’t as much of a threat as Yedlin, Manquillo held his own and used the ball well at times.
Benitez now has a big decision to make ahead of the trip to West Ham. Who will start on the right side of defence?