Newcastle United manager Rafa Benítez confirms wantaway midfielder Moussa Sissoko will be in the squad for Saturday’s Championship match against Huddersfield Town.
Despite his best efforts, Moussa Sissoko remains a Newcastle United player and could well feature in the club’s opening home match in the Championship.
Since Newcastle’s relegation from the Barclays Premier League Sissoko has been trying to force a move away from St. James’ Park but his immediate future remains on Tyneside as the club prepare to pick up their first win of the new season against Huddersfield Town.
Sissoko missed the opening day defeat at Fulham, last featuring for United in their final day demolition of Tottenham Hotspur, providing two assists in a 5-1 victory. And after an impressive European Championship tournament with France, he could still make an impact in the second tier even if he does move on by the end of the transfer window.
However a transfer is far from assured as Magpies’ manager Rafa Benítez said in his pre-match press conference: “Moussa is someone we like as an individual and as a player. If someone comes in with a right offer we will consider, but if it’s not the right offer we are pleased to keep him here.
“If someone is waiting to do a deal on 30th August, no chance, because we don’t need to sell.”
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What Sissoko still has to offer at Newcastle remains to be seen but what is clear is that Benítez is under no obligation to sell the Frenchman who faces the prospect of lining-up to face Huddersfield little over a month after he started in the European Championship final.
With linked clubs ranging from Real Madrid to West Bromwich Albion, where Sissoko ends up is anybody’s guess but at the moment he remains very much a Newcastle United player.
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