Speaking to Football Insider surrounding Newcastle United midfield man Isaac Hayden, ex-Premier League goalkeeper Paul Robinson has hinted that the Englishman could be back in manager Steve Bruce’s favour soon if results continue to disappoint.
Hayden, who has started 21 league games for the Magpies this season, hasn’t featured in any of Newcastle’s last three matches – with Bruce instead opting to start January loan signing Nabil Bentaleb in the middle of the park. Following dropped points to Crystal Palace, Arsenal and Norwich City – with the Toon Army failing to even score a goal in those encounters – Robinson now believes that the manager may include Hayden again if results continue to spiral downwards. Hayden’s arguably most crucial contribution came during Newcastle’s shock 1-0 home win over Chelsea back in mid-January, with the Englishman grabbing a dramatic injury time winner at St. James’ Park.
As well as this, Hayden has also averaged the second highest average amount of tackles per game (2.1) out of the entire squad, as per WhoScored.com. Robinson, as a result, insists it’s only a matter of time before the 24-year-old starts playing regularly again.
“Hayden’s played well but Bentaleb’s come in and when you sign a player, you sign him for a reason to play and he’s got to fit in the team somewhere,” Robinson told Football Insider.
“Hayden played well, particularly in the first half of the season he was one of the better players and he was unfortunate to lose his place.
“As the team continue to roll out performances as they did at Palace at the weekend, it might not be long before you see him back in the side.”
Indeed, judging by the numbers, if Hayden can manage to replicate that steady form upon his return, it appears the Englishman could work his way back into Bruce’s thoughts in time for the latter part of the season – with Newcastle needing every ounce of quality they can muster in their bid to avoid relegation.
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