Antonio Barreca Facing Newcastle Exile With Rafa Benitez Unhappy With Loanees Defensive Ability

Newcastle's January loan signing Antonio Barreca ​is facing a prolonged spell on the sidelines at St James' Park as manager Rafa Benitez reportedly doesn't rate the 23-year-old.


Barreca signed for United on loan from Monaco until the rest of the season in the January transfer window but has featured once since.


The Italian left back was Newcastle's second choice after their bid to sign Lazio's Jordan Lukaku fell through and Benitez looks to have made it clear the defender doesn't feature in his plans for the rest of the season.

Newcastle have the option to buy him for £8m in the summer but, according to the Sun via talkSPORT, Barreca has no future at the club as Benitez doesn't rate the 23-year-old, thinks he is defensively suspect and wasn't actually interested in signing him in January.


The 23-year-old has been not been in the last four match day squads and has only played four minutes since he joined the club - a substitute appearance against ​Tottenham last month.


Although he hasn't been in the last few squads, Barreca travelled with the rest of the team to Spain for warm weather training and played 45 minutes during their friendly draw with CSKA Moscow in February. 

FBL-FRA-LIGUE1-SAINT-ETIENNE-MONACO

When he joined the club, Benitez told the Shields Gazzette Barreca was ​'doing well' in training and that he was 'happy' to have a new face in the squad, but he hasn't done enough to stay in his manager's plans since.

Paul Dummett and Matt Ritchie have played on the left for the Magpies this season and it's an area of the pitch Benitez will look to strengthen in the summer.

Newcastle are 14th in the ​Premier League, six points clear of the relegation zone, and host ​Everton on Saturday.


Source : 90min