Rafa Benitez
According to Chronicle Live, Newcastle United have successfully loaned out 22-year-old winger Rolando Aarons to Czech Republic outfit Slovan Liberec. Aarons was not given a shirt number by Rafael Benitez prior to the start of the season which clearly indicated that the player was not in the manager’s plans.
Aarons joined Newcastle United in 2012 after being released by Bristol City and he made his debut for the Magpies as a teenager in 2014. Since then, the youngster has made 27 appearances for the club across all competitions, netting 4 times.
The 22-year-old showed a lot of promise in his early days at St.James’s Park but his career has been marred by recurrent injuries. He missed the entire 2016/17 season due to a hamstring injury and subsequently went out on a loan stint at Serie A club Hellas Verona. He hasn’t been able to replicate the brilliance he showed as a teenager and has slipped down the pecking order.
However, Newcastle could have found the youngster a better club to work on his game. Aarons was the subject of interest from Scottish club Rangers and a few other French clubs but the deal couldn’t be completed before deadline day. (h/t Chronicle Live)
Well, Aarons was once a part of England’s U20 team, following his promising showings in his debut season. Now, however, the youngster must work his way back to being in the reckoning once again. It is going to be tough for him to adapt to a new country and excel in the Czech league as he is not accustomed to the style prevalent over there.
However, he is still only 22 and has to work on his game to resurrect a faltering career. He needs regular minutes to do so and he wouldn’t have gotten that at Newcastle United. Hence, he should take heart from the fact that he will not be warming the bench and merely making up the numbers in the Premier League.
Newcastle signed Brazilian winger Kennedy on loan from Chelsea in the summer transfer window. Benitez has mostly preferred either a 5-4-1 or a 4-4-1-1 defensive formation, making it difficult for the wingers to impact. Matt Ritchie is another specialist winger who has been handed regular starts while Ayoze Perez has been deployed on the flanks occasionally.
Truth be told, even if Aarons stayed put at Newcastle, he wouldn’t have found much room to make an impact. His playing opportunities would have been limited under a defensive-minded coach. A player defined by electric pace and smart dribbling down the right flanks, Aarons has a good eye for goal but is likely to flourish under a free-flowing style of play.
Hence, a loan move to one of the less-fancied leagues in Europe is not the worst option as it should provide him with enough chances to work his way up the ladder again. Also, the fact that the Czech league is less demanding than the Premier League could make it easier for Aarons to make an impact. At 22, he has time on his side and Newcastle should hope the youngster can mount a challenge for a role in the squad in the coming days.
