As things stand, Javi Manquillo will leave Newcastle United next summer.
The Spanish defender joined the Magpies in 2017 from Atletico Madrid, signing a three-year deal. While he’s far from a guaranteed starter, Manquillo deserves a new contract at St James’ Park.
That’s not something I thought I’d say a year ago. Manquillo was previously one of my least favourite players, but he’s really started to prove me and many other fans wrong.
He’s not perfect, but the defender is a valuable member of the current Newcastle squad. That’s mainly down to his versatility. Manquillo can play on the right or left side of defence, and has also done well as a wing-back.
He’s spent most of his time at Newcastle as understudy to DeAndre Yedlin, but he’s also had to provide cover for Paul Dummett on the opposite side.
The Magpies signed right-back Emil Krafth this summer, but so far the Swede has done nothing to suggest he’s streets ahead of Manquillo. And if money to improve the squad is going to be limited, then we need to keep a player like Manquillo around.
We aren’t blessed with options at fullback, so a player who can do a job on both sides of the pitch is worth keeping.
It doesn’t have to be a lengthy contract, maybe just for two years. But we would be taking a risk if we allowed Manquillo to leave on a free next summer.
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