Jonjo Shelvey didn’t think Benitez would pick him again, admits he’s been very down

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Newcastle’s Jonjo Shelvey has commented on his situation at Newcastle United.

Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has told The Mirror that he really didn’t think he’d start again under Rafael Benitez this season after a lengthy spell out of the team.

The Magpies claimed a 1-1 draw at Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, with Seagulls midfielder Pascal Gross salvaging a point after Ayoze Perez had slammed Newcastle in front.

Benitez has guided Newcastle to safety once again, and Saturday’s game saw him hand a rare start to midfielder Shelvey.

Shelvey has been a key player for Newcastle in the past, but has barely been seen this season, with no league start since November 3^rd against Watford.

Since then, the 27-year-old has made just seven substitute appearances, before making a first start of 2019 in the away trip to Brighton.

Shelvey’s future is somewhat unclear, as he has been heavily linked with a move to boyhood club West Ham United, with The Northern Echo claiming that the Hammers will launch a summer move.

The midfielder now has a chance to save his Newcastle career late in the season, but has revealed that he didn’t think Benitez would pick to start again this season having been left out for so long.

Shelvey added that he has been ‘very, very down’ at Newcastle having not started a league game for six months, with the ex-Liverpool man just desperate to start games rather than eb sat on the bench.

“Hand on my heart, I didn’t think I’d start this season,” said Shelvey. “That’s the impression I was getting because the team were doing so well and it’s hard to get in; I haven’t really been given the opportunities. I was glad to start at Brighton. I found out the team on Friday and spoke to the family straight away to tell them I was going to be playing.”

“Six months is a long time without starting a game. It’s hard to start a game after six months — it’s not as easy as people think. But I think I did reasonably well. I just want to try and maintain my place for the following week. I have been very, very down, because you want to play football. You can take all the money away, because at the end of the day all you want to do is play football,” he added.