Jesus resurrected; the Spaniard was in impressive form against Reading, proving his worth at last to Newcastle United.
This time last year, Jesus Gamez was part of an Atletico Madrid team aiming to knock Barcelona off their perch in both La Liga and the latter stages of the Champions League. Flash forward twelve months and he’s been held to a frustrating goalless draw in Berkshire.
Though while Newcastle United’s stalemate with Reading on Tuesday should be viewed more as another step towards promotion rather than two points dropped, the performance of the versatile Spaniard on the right hand side of defence was perhaps the biggest positive of the evening.
Thanks to a debilitating series of injuries, this was only the 31-year-old’s third Championship appearance of the season but by far his most effective.
With Vurnon Anita and De Andre Yedlin kept on the sidelines with minor injuries, Gamez was steady if not spectacular, making a number of useful interceptions while contributing at the other end with intelligent build-up play and a number of long throws.
No-one would claim that the former Malaga defender is anything other than an experienced, short-term solution but his reliable performance against Reading, in particular against rampant winger Garath McCleary, offers hope that he could prove to be a very useful understudy. The fact he can play in any position across the back four doesn’t do him much harm either.
Furthermore, with utility man Vurnon Anita likely to leave the club once his contract expires at the end of the season, as reported by The Chronicle, Gamez could be the kind of adaptable squad player Rafael Benitez admires.
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