Last week, The Mail reported that Newcastle United winger Ryan Fraser had been told to train with our Under-21s ahead of that Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
A week later, Eddie Howe has broken his silence on the unsettled Scott in this morning’s press conference, saying: “Ryan is training with the U21s. I made the decision to concentrate on players that are committed to Newcastle for the benefit of the group.”
When asked if he had a future at the club, Howe said: “I’d say at the moment, no he doesn’t.” A damning line but no major surprise given how things have panned out for Fraser over the past six months.
Upon his appointment, some in the media suggested Howe was ‘too nice’, questioning if he had that ruthless streak needed to manage big egos or make tough decisions.
Not for the first time over the past 18 months, his actions (and comments) here prove he is ready to do whatever it takes to protect his squad, the atmosphere in the dressing room and maintain full commitment to the cause.
As for Fraser himself, it looks like the 29-year-old has played his last game for the club. Many believed he was a shrewd free agent signing when Steve Bruce brought him in the summer of 2020, yet he’s spent the majority of the past two-and-a-half years either injured, out of form or frustrated by his lack of game time.
He’s not kicked a ball since October, didn’t feature once in our run to the Carabao Cup final and will be working on a summer move as we speak after being banished to our U21s by the manager he left down during his time at Bournemouth.
