He may be struggling to get in Benitez’s team, but NUFC new boy Fabian Schar has been impressing on international duty, with him making it into WhoScored’s ‘team of the week’ after the recent round of UEFA Nations League games.
With a score o 7.8 out of 10, the defender was League A’s highest rated defender of the week – being an impressive feat given he was up against players from the likes of Italy, Germany, France, Spain, England, Portugal and Belgium.
The club activated the Swiss centre-back’s release clause over the summer, seeing him sign from Deportivo La Coruna, however he’s only started one league game so far this season.
He’s been our fourth choice centre-back so far this, behind Lascelles, Fernandez and Clark, however his recent display in Switzerland’s 2-1 win over Iceland may have caught Rafa’s eye.
The 6ft 2′ defender was the highest rated player on the pitch during the game, coming out with a 7.8 rating – seeing him make WhoScored’s ‘team of the week’ from League A.
I can’t see the pairing of Lascelles and Fernandez breaking up anytime soon, but perhaps Schar will establish himself as our third-choice centre-back and push for starts in the league once he settled into English football.
He may take time to adjust to the speed and physicality, but he certainly looks like a talented ball playing defender – which is something we lack without Lejeune.
