Highly-rated Newcastle United winger Victor Fernandez is back after almost 9 months out, with the young Spaniard pictured training with the first-team today.
The 21-year-old featured regularly over pre-season after shining at U-23 level last season, only to see a series of injuries limiting him to just 45 minutes of football since the summer.
His last game was a 45-minute cameo in a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough in August 2018, but the Barcelona-born winger has been spotted in first-team training today, suggesting he is finally fully fit.
The fact Rafa has thrown him straight back in with the senior players perhaps shows just how highly he rates him, with Fernandez being one of the first youngsters Benitez brought to the club, arriving from Spanish side Cornella in 2017.
He was initially expected back in October, but a setback lead to surgery at the end of November, totally disrupting what had the potential to be a breakthrough season for the exciting young talent.
He’ll no doubt feature over pre-season once again this summer, but let’s hope he can stay fit and make an impact ahead of the 2019/20 season, with him a player full of potential and one Rafa appears to rate highly.
