Howe must brutally axe £45k-p/w NUFC dud whose value has plummeted £5.4m since 2018 - opinion

Newcastle are currently 18th in the Premier League table, and one of the biggest reasons behind their struggles has been their lack of quality in defence.

Only Norwich (45) have conceded more goals than the Magpies (43) in the top flight, which highlights how poor they have been at the back this season.

One of their defenders who has struggled on and off the pitch is Federico Fernandez. The £45k-per-week dud has only started five Premier League matches this term and has been unable to catch the eye when he has played, which is a far cry from where he was at the start of his career on Tyneside.

In December 2018, Transfermarkt valued him at £7.2m. This came after his final season for Swansea and the first half of his debut campaign at St. James’ Park, with the centre-back averaging a solid WhoScored rating of 6.76 in the top flight with the Welsh outfit.

He then averaged a score of 6.73 with Newcastle in the Premier League in the 2019/20 campaign as he proved to be a reliable performer during that time. However, his displays have taken a nosedive since then, averaging a score of 6.64 last term and a dismal 6.37 this season. This suggests that he has been regressing over time and is not the same player he was two or three years ago.

Fernandez has also had availability issues to go along with his lack of form. He has had six separate injury or illness absences for Newcastle, with the latest one having kept him out for eight matches so far.

He missed nine games last term and it remains to be seen when he will return during the current campaign. This shows that he is now an unreliable player for Howe, both in terms of his performances on the pitch and his fitness.

It could now be time for the ex-Bournemouth boss to brutally