The 25-year-old appeared a solid addition to Newcastle United’s squad but he has barely been spotted in the club’s colours
Newcastle United defender Grant Hanley remains part of Rafael Benitez’s plans, The Chronicle reports, despite his lack of game time this season.
The Scotland international has endured a forgettable debut campaign at St James’ Park since arriving from Blackburn Rovers for £6 million last summer, as reported by the Daily Mail, starting only once in the league since playing the full 90 minutes in the opening day defeat to Fulham.
Consequently, The Sun claimed late in the January transfer window that Wolves boss Paul Lambert was keen on rescuing his former captain at Ewood Park from his Newcastle nightmare.
However, The Chronicle reports that Benitez remains a fan of his 25-year-old defender and the main reason for his lack of game time is that the Spaniard prefers to avoid rotating his back four in order to breed familiarity within the ranks.
Indeed, injuries notwithstanding, Benitez attempted to prioritise a settled defence at all of his former clubs, which may explain why Chancel Mbemba has also endured a reduced role in first-team affairs this season.
Consequently, Hanley could be forced to wait for one of Jamaal Lascelles or Ciaran Clark to suffer an injury before he finally gets his chance in the starting XI.
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