Should Newcastle Be Worried About The Absence Of This American Ace Ahead Of The New Season?

The 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup takes place across the USA this summer and, as the host nation, the USMNT will no doubt want their best players to make themselves available in what they will definitely see as an opportunity to win it.

It includes Newcastle’s DeAndre Yedlin, meaning that the right-back may miss a large chunk of Rafa Benitez’s pre-season programme. The major question is, should Newcastle be worried about it?

Pre-season will be as much about balance and opportunities for new players as it is about quality. So as long as Newcastle have right-back to fill his spot then they will not be overly concerned. Vurnon Anita is of very similar quality in this position and is currently deputising for the injured Yedlin. So it seems natural that the Dutchman will partly take his place this summer for the friendly games.

Furthermore; Newcastle have talented young full-back Jamie Sterry, who is currently getting experience out on loan at Coventry City. At some point in time, managers have to give the young players a chance and Sterry, now 21, will feel this may even be his last big chance to impress Benitez sufficiently enough. His experiences with what has turned out to be a struggling Coventry side have hardly been ideal for his development. The Sky Blues, shockingly, are heading for England’s bottom professional tier, so it goes without saying that a pre-season playing behind Ritchie and next to Lascelles will be much more beneficial to Sterry.

Newcastle may yet need a new right-back altogether for the rigours of the Premier League and as such, may have the ideal opportunity to decide on how necessary it is during Yedlin’s absence. Should Anita, Sterry, or even both fail to reach the required standard come July/August then Benitez will know that he has to enter the market. Trying to do that and provide playing time for as many as four right-backs would prove almost impossible. One can bet Benitez and Mikel Antia will have some player in mind, just in case.

Instead of being overly concerned about the gap left in his defence, he can rest easy knowing that he’s aware of Yedlin’s talent and potential, and allow him to essentially have his pre-season with the USA instead of NUFC. However, the chances of injury or even burnout will be in the back of the Newcastle coaching team’s minds regarding Yedlin. But the value he adds to Newcastle will never be in doubt.