Javier Manquillo wasn’t able to cement a place at Newcastle United after joining them from Atlético Madrid in 2017. The fullback lost prominence after Eddie Howe took charge in November 2021 and was limited to 19 appearances under the current Magpies boss.
In January, Newcastle let Manquillo join Celta Vigo on a permanent move, and he was quickly able to feature for the Spanish club.
The right-back had then expressed his delight over leaving the Premier League side. In March 2024, he even insisted the transfer had worked out better than he had hoped for.
Fast forward to a year later and the former Newcastle man’s situation isn’t great at Celta. Wednesday’s edition of Atlántico covers his situation as it’s been 50 days since he last made an appearance.
Rafael Benítez was in charge when the Spaniard left Newcastle for Celta. The manager was replaced by Claudio Giráldez last March and the latter is still charge at the club.
Giráldez left the defender out of the squad for last seven consecutive league games. He has always stated Manquillo’s omission is due to technical reasons and has no problem with him.
Atlántico state the ex-Magpies defender has publicly questioned the manager’s decision, indicating that he believes it’s personal.
They add his absence hasn’t been noticed considering Celta lost only one of their last seven games. It’s possible for Manquillo to return to the pitch, but the newspaper warns he may drop further down the pecking order once Jailson returns from injury.