Newcastle United are going through a very rough patch at the moment following a very woeful start to the 2018-19 Premier League season.
The Magpies are without a win in their opening nine games of the campaign, losing seven and drawing two, and the pressure is beginning to get to manager Rafa Benitez.
The team is definitely struggling to get it right, and while throwing a couple of impressive youngsters from the reserve squad into the mix could make sense, the Spaniard says he will be sticking to his senior players no matter what.
“Players with experience and a good mentality can help this team,” Benitez told the Chronicle when asked about playing youngsters.
“Last year we were one of the youngest teams so to have players like Martin and Fede who have experience and a good approach is positive.
“This is a long distance race and these players will make the difference because they keep pushing and working hard. The others will follow them as they are the example.”
The trio of Sean Longstaff, Kelland Watts and Elias Sorensen have particularly been outstanding for Newcastle’s under-23’s this season, with the latter grabbing five goals in seven appearances.
However, it doesn’t seem any of them has done enough to break into Benitez’s first-team plans, and it remains to be seen if the manager will be handing any of the club’s youngsters a chance in the Premier League this season.
Having played four out of the top-five teams since the start of the campaign, Newcastle have no doubt endured a tough run of fixtures and have been unlucky.
However, Liverpool is the only top side remaining for them this year, and they have to get out of the drop zone before the second half of the campaign to have a chance of maintaining their top-flight status come May.
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