No Fede? Rafa puts
MANAGER CHALLENGES PLAYERS TO GET THE JOB DONE DESPITE ABSENCES
RAFA Benitez is confident Newcastle United can cope without influential centre-back Federico Fernandez today.
The former Napoli defender has been a mainstay in Benitez’s line-up this season and has started 13 games since arriving for a bargain fee of £6m from Swansea City on deadline day.
Fernandez hobbled off at half time of the 2-1 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers last Sunday and has since seen a specialist over a calf injury.
The encounter with Huddersfield Town comes too early for the 29-year-old but Benitez has now thrown the gauntlet down to others.
He told the Chronicle: “To lose players is always bad news but we have to cope. “In a whole season you will have players who get injured or suspended.
“It means you have to have others available who are ready to work just as hard and they know what they have to do.
“Hopefully, we will not be talking too much about Fede Ferdnandez because we will be on the attack and looking for goals during the game.”
Benitez will at least have Fabian Schar back from suspension this weekend but, with DeAndre Yedlin banned, he could use Javier Manquillo at right-back.
However, Fernandez’s absence was not the only blow Benitez had to report.
Jonjo Shelvey is now facing a 10-day lay off after treatment in Barcelona on a thigh problem.
Benitez said: “It is 10 days and then we assess him.
“We have to see how he will get on, we will guarantee how long he will be unavailable soon.”
With Shelvey out it could give Mo Diame and Ki the chance to continue their partnership in the midfield engine room in West Yorkshire.
On his midfield options, Benitez reflected: “We have been lucky in some ways.
“Ki needed time after the World Cup to settle down and now he’s doing well.