Should Rafael Benitez sell Newcastle United’s Isaac Hayden this summer if the Magpies stay up?
It has been a very difficult season in the Premier League for Newcastle United midfielder Isaac Hayden.
The former Arsenal youth played a major role in helping the Magpies win automatic promotion to the top flight last season but, like many of his team-mates, has struggled with the step-up in class.
Rafael Benitez’s dwindling trust in the 22-year-old is evident by the fact that Hayden has only managed 146 minutes of Premier League football across six cameo appearances in 2018 and you wonder whether the Spanish manager should offload him this summer if Newcastle remain in the big time.
Hayden, a £2 million signing from Arsenal in 2016, was a very popular figure among fans last term for his powerful midfield displays, but the same can’t be said this season and the youngster has often been targeted by supporters of the St James’s Park club for criticism on social media after a number of games.
Even with Jonjo Shelvey injured, Benitez overlooked him for Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Liverpool, which means there are, in Benitez’s mind, at least three better midfielders than him in the squad.
Even as a squad player, Hayden, who has 23 Premier League games under his belt in total, may not be made of the right stuff for this level at the moment and it’s difficult to make an argument over keeping him if United – two points above the relegation zone – survive the drop come May.
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