Ciaran Clark: Defender’s Newcastle United career all but over after official statement – pundit
Noel Whelan has claimed Ciaran Clark may have played his last game for Newcastle United after being left out the Premier League squad.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, admitted the 32-year-old has not “covered himself in glory” this season.
As confirmed in a statement on Thursday (3 February), Clark, Isaac Hayden and Jamal Lewis have been left out the 25-man squad for the rest of the season.
Their absences come as a result of Newcastle’s transfer business during the January window.
The Magpies brought in five new players, including centre-back Dan Burn.
Whelan admitted he cannot see Clark ever turning out for Newcastle United again.
Asked if he thought this marked the end of Clark’s Newcastle career, Whelan told Football Insider’s Russell Edge: “I think he won’t play for Newcastle again, yeah.
“He hasn’t covered himself in glory when he’s been in the side. He’s been one of the weak links in terms of defending and conceding goals and his level of performances.
“So yeah, I think that’s probably about right. We knew that the centre-half partnership was fragile, to say the least. It’s pretty much a new backline at Newcastle.
“That’s bar the one player that’s going to be staying in there, who is club captain. I don’t think Clark’s been up to standards that you expect from a Premier League centre-half.
“They’ve made a very strong decision on that. They’ve had enough time to watch him and they’ve seen too many mistakes during that time.”
Clark has made 14 appearances this season, including in the Magpies’ win over Leeds last time out.
He has played 129 times for Newcastle since joining in 2016.
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