Matz Sels made a memorable return to the Anderlecht starting XI on Wednesday night – he’ll hope Newcastle United were watching.
If anyone needed a break, it’s Matz Sels. The Belgian shot-stopper became the most expensive goalkeeper in Newcastle’s history when he signed from Gent for £6.5 million in the summer of 2016 (Sky Sports) but, just two months into his debut Championship season, was demoted to the bench after a string of high-profile errors.
Karl Darlow came in between the sticks and shone. And when Rob Elliot recovered from a cruciate ligament injury that had left him on the sidelines for most of the 2016/17 campaign, Sels had gone from first choice to third in less than a year.
Few tears were shed, then, when Newcastle farmed the goalkeeper out to Anderlecht in the summer. But history looked like repeating itself when Sels’ disappointing performances, and the Jupiler league champions’ awful form overall, led to the 25-year-old being dropped at the end of September.
After six weeks out of the starting XI, however, Sels returned as Anderlecht hosted Zulte Waregem on Wednesday night. And the former Belgian Under-21 international could hardly have hoped to make a better impression.
Sels pulled of a crucial penalty save with the scores level at 0-0 – providing the platform for Anderlecht to go on and seal a 2-0 win that lifts them to third in the Jupiler League table.
What the future holds for Sels at Newcastle is uncertain – if he has one at all. If The Magpies’ forgotten man is to force his way into Rafael Benitez’s thinking, however, he’ll need more nights like this.
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