The 27-year-old is reportedly on his way out of Newcastle United; but he won’t leave without a fight.
In football, a lot can change in a month. A title bid can be derailed, continental dreams smashed, a manager’s future cast into severe doubt. We’re looking at you Arsenal.
And the news that Newcastle United midfielder Isaac Hayden, Rafael Benitez’s engine room coal-lugger, will be out for four weeks after undergoing ankle surgery, as reported by Sky Sports, could give one man 30 days, 768 hours and potentially six games to save his career on Tyneside.
What better time for Vurnon Anita, himself only just back in training after a lay-off, to remind Benitez of the importance of adaptability?
The Chronicle reported recently that Newcastle are unlikely to offer the three-time Dutch international a new contract despite his existing deal set to expire at the end of the season, with Eredivisie champions PSV leading the race for the former Ajax man.
These developments came as something of a shock, particularly as Benitez admitted to The Chronicle earlier in the season that Anita, who has flitted between central midfield and either full-back position when required, is a player he can hang his hat on.
However, with Hayden (below) set to be absent in a ‘make-or-break’ March with promotion rivals Brighton, Huddersfield and Reading all on the horizon, Anita could yet endear himself to the Spaniard once more with a long-awaited return to his favoured central-midfield position.
If he performs with distinction, answers the problems posed by Hayden’s unavailability, there would be little reason for Newcastle to let him go.
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