Rafa Benitez reveals why Jack Colback was deliberately axed from NUFC's 2017/18 squad photo
Rafa Benitez has delivered an ominous verdict on the future of NUFC outcast Jack Colback, suggesting that he had no plans to include the midfielder in the squad photo as he is 'not training with the team' so shouldn't be in the team picture.
After an alleged fall out with the Spaniard, the former Sunderland midfielder had been told he was not in Benitez's plans and was offered escape routes to Hull City and Wolves. Such loan offers were rejected by the player due to alleged 'geographical reasons' however.
Colback made 29 appearances for us last season, however hasn't made a single matchday squad since promotion, with his only outing in black and white this season coming in an U-23's defeat to Wolves at St. James' Park recently.
Just three days after that outing in the NUFC second string, The Mirror report that Colback was told not to attend the first team photo shoot and was instead left to train with the reserves once again.
His omission from the squad photo was a clear sign of Rafa's ruthlessness and Benitez's explanation that has followed does little to reassure the midfielder. Here's his brutal assessment of why Colback was left out of the team picture:
“It’s simple. We had decided the squad before.
“He is not training with the team and we didn’t change our position on that.
“It made no sense to change things again just because we’re taking a team picture. It has to be consistent.
“We have to be consistent in terms of our ideas as professionals and the way that we want to manage the squad.”
Pretty damning words from Benitez if you're Jack Colback.
In his defence, he's an honest and hard working player, however his lack of ability and recent fall out with Benitez look to have put an end to a career on Tyneside that should've probably ended a few years ago now. For all his efforts he was a very ordinary footballer.
Here's the Jack Colback-less squad photo that caused quite a stir on social media:
https://twitter.com/talkofthetoon9/status/913426652503343105
