Does Andros Townsend regret the decision to leave Newcastle United?
What was all the fuss about?
Newcastle are 10th in the Premier League and 13 points clear of the relegation zone, after beating Arsenal 2-1 at St James’s Park on Sunday.
It seems odd to think now, but the Magpies were fighting for their Premier League lives for much of the campaign and it’s a huge testament to Rafael Benitez that he has steadied the ship.
Benitez, a Champions League winner with Liverpool, has reminded everybody of just how good a manager he is and Andros Townsend may justifiably feel a little a silly after leaving him in 2016.
Townsend left Newcastle to join Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace in a £13 million deal, after United were relegated into the Championship.
It looked a fair decision at the time, having been one of Benitez’s best players, but fast forward two years and the former Tottenham product might be regretting the switch.
The 26-year-old hasn’t really managed to replicate the standard under Pardew or Roy Hodgson that the Spanish manager drew from him.
Newcastle look certain to finish ahead of the Eagles – who sit six points clear of the drop zone – and you could forgive Townsend if he wished that he had stayed with Benitez because the future looks brighter at St James’s than it does at Selhurst Park.
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