Left-back is a concern for Newcastle with Rose and Willems uncertainty

If Danny Rose and Jetro Willems depart this summer, Newcastle United will have a major hole at left-back.

In the past couple of seasons, Newcastle United had players like Kenedy, Matt Ritchie, and Paul Dummett playing left-back. Dummett doesn’t offer much going forward, Kenedy was unpredictable in his time with the club, especially in the second season, and Matt Ritchie is not a natural defender.

Thankfully, Jetro Willems held down that spot on loan during the first half of the season, on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt. After Willems’ season ended with a knee injury vs. Chelsea, Ritchie stepped in to bridge the gap before Danny Rose arrived on loan from Spurs. But, neither Rose or Willems has a deal beyond this season and that should be a major concern for Newcastle United.

This week, when he wasn’t criticizing Project Restart, Rose hinted that he would like to reconnect with former manager Brendan Rodgers at Leicester City. There haven’t been any links to that outside of that comment from Rose and there’s still a chance Newcastle could ink him to a full deal this summer. Rose hasn’t indicated much, if anything, about his feelings on sticking with NUFC.

One of the club’s most consistent performers when healthy, Willems has indicated that he would be open to staying with the Magpies. But, will the club feel comfortable picking up his option to buy while he’s recovering from a major injury?

Both players are Premier League-quality starters and would be mainstays in the Newcastle starting XI if they extend their time on Tyneside. But, there’s no certainty that either will be around next season and that would leave the Magpies, and whoever is managing the club, a huge hole on their backline.