FOOD NOT FEUD
Punch-up pair say sorry with Toon meal out
RAFA BENITEZ reckons Newcastle have gone from punch club to lunch club.
The United boss says Mo Diame (right) and Jamaal Lascelles (right bottom) have made up after a scrap in training – which also left peacemaker Jonjo Shelvey with a broken finger.
Benitez realised he didn’t have to dish out a club fine, as the pair volunteered to pay for a slapup squad meal out.
And the Spaniard says he has seen far worse bust-ups during his career, and insisted squad morale has not been dented by the incident.
Newcastle face Southampton tomorrow, boosted by Mikel Merino’s loan move from Borussia Dortmund being triggered into a £6.5million permanent deal. On the international week scrap, Benitez said: “It was a surprise. It was part of a small training game and there was a fight. Jonjo was in the middle, so he was making peace, and everything was fine. After the incident, they apologised to each other. “It was Mo’s idea to take the team out to lunch. I don’t know when or how they will do it. “It’s something that could be negative, but in the end, it’s positive. They are all together. “It is nothing, there is lots worse than that. I told Jamaal that he has to keep pushing in the right way, and Mo is normally training in the right way too.
“Jonjo’s OK, but he cannot take throw-ins. He will have a cast.”
Spain Under-21 star Merino has told of his delight at sealing a permanent transfer. The 21-yearold didn’t feel like a footballer at Dortmund as he hardly played.
“It is my dream to play for Spain. It will be hard and I will never think it will be easy,” he said.
“We have some of the best in the world. It is probably not ready to happen right now, but I hope to be near in the future. And, yes, I can achieve that here, why not?
“If I have to pick my favourite player it would be Xabi Alonso. I am different – taller and more physical – but I admire the way those sorts of players play and how good they are with the ball.”