Steve Bruce addresses 'problem' with Newcastle United's loan signings
Steve Bruce has admitted the match sharpness of Newcastle United’s January signings is a “problem”.
Nabil Bentaleb, Danny Rose and Valentino Lazaro are all playing catch up after missing a lot of football with their parent clubs ahead of their respective moves to St James’s Park.
Bentaleb, fielded ahead of stalwart Isaac Hayden in midfield, didn’t play a competitive first-team game for Schalke 04 for nine months, while Lazaro found his opportunities limited at Inter Milan in the first half of the season following his move to the San Siro. Rose, meanwhile, had been sidelined by Jose Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspur.
Yet all three have been starting games for Newcastle, who were beaten 1-0 by Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Asked about their lack of match sharpness, Bruce said: “That’s always, always a problem. It’s pretty evident. Game time in the Premier League, it’s a vital ingredient. We understand that. They’ll all get better, I’m sure of it.”
Hayden and Matt Ritchie have named on the bench for the club's last two Premier League games.
Asked if they had been unlucky to miss out on starts, Bruce said: “Yeah. Look, they certainly have. They’ve both been good players for this club. They can be, 100%.”
Bruce also spoke about changing the “balance” of his United team after the Palace defeat.
“The way we’re set up, the big signings are all on the pitch,” said Bruce. “Maybe we’ve got to change the balance. Let’s see where that takes us.”