22 key passes, 60 recoveries: Newcastle’s Jonjo Shelvey proving too good for Championship level

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Newcastle United are looking to make an immediate return to the Premier League.

Newcastle United star Jonjo Shelvey is among the leading midfielders in the Championship so far this season as he is proving that his true level belongs in the Premier League.

The Magpies suffered relegation to the second tier last season despite boasting a talented squad.

The likes of Andros Townsend, Moussa Sissoko, Daryl Janmaat and Georginio Wijnaldum have rather unsurprisingly moved back to the Premier League, yet there could have been many more.

Cheick Tiote, Vurnon Anita, Ayoze Perez and Jack Colback all have top-flight pedigree about them, though arguably the most surprising player to remain on Newcastle’s books is midfielder Shelvey.

The former Liverpool man joined the Magpies last January having been a regular at Swansea City, yet he opted to stay on Tyneside in the summer, with the club now benefiting from that decision.

As shown by the table provided by Opta, Shelvey’s current performances rank among the best in the Championship and there is no doubt he still has plenty more to offer.

The England international has posted three goals and three assists in 11 Championship appearances from midfield, though it is his all-round displays which are really catching the imagination.

Shelvey has completed a total of 25 shots, 22 chances created via key passes, 31 defensive duels won, 60 ball recoveries and 439 accurate passes with an 80.1% pass-accuracy rate so far this season.

Rafa Benitez has plenty of midfield options at his disposal, yet a fully firing Shelvey is difficult to contain and Newcastle’s recent good form has coincided with his presence in the starting XI.

The Magpies have won seven of their last nine matches, and they come into the international break coming off a 1-0 with at Rotherham United with Shelvey providing the assist.