Shay Given felt sorry for Newcastle United’s Matt Ritchie

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Newcastle United lost against Chelsea in the Premier League at the weekend.

Shay Given has been quoted as saying by The Chronicle that he felt sorry for Newcastle United winger Matt Ritchie at the weekend.

Ritchie featured for Newcastle in the Premier League game against Chelsea away from home at Stamford Bridge last Saturday afternoon.

The 28-year-old is a winger by trade, but the Scotland international played most of the match as a left-back.

The former Bournemouth star did not have a good game and also gave away a penalty, as the Magpies lost 3-1.

Former Newcastle goalkeeper Given has said that he felt sorry for Ritchie, who was signed by manager Benitez in the summer of 2016.

The Chronicle quotes Given as saying about Ritchie: “I felt a bit sorry for Matt Ritchie. He’s played most of the game in an unfamiliar left back position and he’s given away a daft penalty.”

Ritchie has been on the books of Newcastle since the summer of 2016 when he joined from Bournemouth for a transfer fee reported by The Daily Mail to be worth £12 million.

The Scotland international winger has provided five assists in 15 Premier League appearances for Newcastle so far this season.

During the 2016-17 campaign, the 28-year-old winger scored 12 goals and provided seven assists in 40 Championship starts for the Magpies.