This morning’s Sunday Mirror suggests Aleksandar Mitrovic is on his way out of St James Park.
Rafa Benitez, the paper claims, doesn’t trust the Serb international’s temperament and his disciplinary record backs that up. The first match of his deserved four-match suspension was served in the 0 – 1 defeat to Fulham.
On his day, the £15m spent on bringing Mitrovic in from Anderlecht looks money well spent but those days are not frequent enough. He is nonetheless, a good enough player to hang on to if no buyers can be found.
Is it entirely fair to judge a player in a side which is battling relegation? Yes, in my view; if he’d a few more good days on the pitch, we might not be in the Championship. Not that relegation is all down to him; not by a long chalk.
However, the malevolent edge to his game to a step too far for him to be considered reliable, particularly if we are to realise our promotion ambitions. The suggestion Rafa doesn’t trust him might be journalistic interpretation but in this instance, is very believable.
