Barreca is struggling for a start as Ritchie hits form
LONG WAIT FOR TOON LOANEE
ANTONIO Barreca was again conspicuous by his absence from the Newcastle United match-day squad at the weekend – and the Italian is already turning into one of the more questionable signings of the last few seasons.
The 23-year-old has played four minutes of football since arriving from Monaco on an initial half-season loan deal in January and has not been included in any of the Magpies’ last three match-day 18s.
That is despite the Italian being fully fit and having been lauded upon his arrival by Rafa Benitez as being a player who would give Newcastle “options and flexibility.”
As Benitez would undoubtedly point out if questioned on this one, Barreca was never signed to be first choice and the Italian therefore cannot quite be bracketed alongside the likes of Seydou Doumbia, Achraf Lazaar and Henri Saviet in the bizarre signings stakes just yet.
Barreca was brought in to provide back-up down Newcastle’s left flank, where the Magpies were desperately short and Benitez had sought reinforcements for the best part of three years.
Matt Ritchie has performed exceptionally well as a left wingback, while Paul Dummett is the only recognised out-and-out leftback at the club – and Javier Manquillo has looked welll out of his depth playing on the opposite flank.
Initially, Benitez himself suggested Barreca could be brought into the side to liberate Ritchie and allow the Scotland international to return to his more natural attacking role.
Yet, so impressed have United’s backroom staff been by Ritchie’s transition to left wing-back they have not felt the need to start with Barreca, who is untested in English football.
Given Benitez has 24 players fit – well, 23 if Sean Longstaff is ruled out of Saturday’s clash with Everton – then Barreca finds himself very much where he was intended to be in terms of the hierarchy of the squad.
He was not Benitez’s top left wingback target in January – that was shown when Jordan Lukaku suddenly became available, then Newcastle temporarily dropped their interest in Barreca and only returned when the deal for the Belgian feel through.
After all, Barreca had only played nine times for Monaco during the first half of the season – he was deemed not good enough to feature for a relegation-threatened side in Ligue 1 by Thierry Henry and the Principality club were desperate to off-load the Italian in January.
Even at this early stage, it appears highly unlikely Newcastle will enact the reported £8m option to buy contained in the loan deal – and that is regardless of whether Benitez signs a contract extension.
Sometimes signings bulk out squads and their presence within the group can have a positive impact.
Benitez will attest to that – the United manager still maintains Grant Hanley was one of his mostimportant acquisitions during the summer of 2016, even if he barely featured in the Championship – and he is pleased by the increased competition Barreca has brought, even if the Italian is struggling to make an impression out on the pitch.
The left wing-back may start to gain additional game time if, and when, Newcastle are all-but mathematically safe – so another two wins in Benitez’s eyes – or if another injury crisis bites.
For now, however, it seems Barreca needs to really impress during training if he is going to force his way into the starting XI.