Matt Ritchie played the full 90 minutes as Newcastle United drew with the Championship side on Tuesday.
A number of Newcastle fans took to Twitter to comment on Matt Ritchie’s display during the Magpies’ 2-2 draw with Hull City – and many were hugely impressed by his performance in the friendly.
Much of the talk surrounding Ritchie this summer has been to do with whether he has a future at St James’ Park, with the Chronicle reporting earlier in the month that Championship side Stoke City had made a £15 million bid for the 28-year-old.
That offer was rejected, but some of the Newcastle faithful may have feared whether Mike Ashley may become tempted to cash in on Ritchie given that his value is unlikely to increase further in the coming years.
Stoke’s recent acquisition of Tom Ince suggests that their interest in Ritchie has ended, but the Chronicle’s report also noted that both Middlesbrough and Bournemouth have been linked with the winger since the window opened, so perhaps, it is still too soon to make a certain prediction regarding his future.
But after Newcastle’s draw with Hull on Tuesday, many fans took to social media to praise Ritchie’s display and work-rate, with some suggesting that the club need to do all they can to make sure that they hold onto the Scotland international this summer.
Ritchie looked dangerous throughout the contest and played the full 90 minutes, so it would have undoubtedly been the kind of performance that would have pleased Rafa Benitez with the opening day of the Premier League season nearing.
It certainly appears that there will be a major backlash if the Newcastle hierarchy do decide to sell the winger before the end of the window based on the reaction to his display against Hull. Here is what some of the fans were saying after the draw…
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