In a cruel twist of fate, Javier Manquillo started his second game in a row on Wednesday night.
With Paul Dummett injured and Matt Ritchie suspended, the Spaniard was tasked with playing left wing-back against Everton. And he had a tough job on his hands, up against the tricky Ademola Lookman.
Manquillo has never looked comfortable in a Newcastle shirt. The defender arrived in 2017 after a loan spell at Sunderland, where he struggled as well.
Despite Rafa Benitez’s best efforts, the 24-year-old still isn’t up to standard, and sticks out like a sore thumb every time he plays for Newcastle.
Mixed night for Manquillo
Things were no different on Wednesday evening.
The wing-back was energetic to begin with, getting forward with purpose. Defensively, he was suspect at times, but had some positive moments.
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As always, there were a few hairy moments as well, which have become common place when Dummett isn’t playing, further highlighting our need for another left-sided defender.
When Dummett is out, we’re basically dicing with death. And some fans weren’t impressed with his performance, once again.
However, this does not tell the full story. Some Toon fans were pleasantly surprised by the performance from the former Liverpool defender.
Regardless, most people will agree that the full-back is not first-team quality. He is an example of the tight purse strings at Newcastle, with Benitez having to shop in the bargain bin for players he can rely on.
The Spaniard is a nice option to have as he can play on both the right and left of defence, but he’s hardly inspiring on either side. The sooner we get some investment the better, as Manquillo is always an accident waiting to happen when he trots onto the pitch.
