Newcastle United youngster Matt Bondswell impressed Magpies supporters during the 3-2 defeat to Benfica on Tuesday evening. Playing the entirety of the second-half, the speedy left-back didn't look out of his depth as the Magpies missed out on the Eusebio Cup at the Estadio da Luz.
Bondswell was joined on the Portuguese trip by his fellow under-23 counterparts, with Santiago Munoz, Alex Murphy and Jay Turner-Cooke also travelling with the first-team. But the 20-year-old was the only one of the quartet to enjoy game time in the Benfica clash - and took his chance in the process.
Eddie Howe 's decision to give Bondswell minutes paid off in Lisbon and now the question will emerge over his short-term future. Does he stay on Tyneside and try to beat the likes of Jamal Lewis and Paul Dummett to become Matt Targett's backup? Or does he move out on loan to get regular minutes under his belt?
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The left-back got something of a raw deal last season when he was sent to Shrewsbury Town on loan and was then ridiculously overlooked by Steve Cotterill. Dan Ashworth and Shola Ameobi will be making sure the same mistake isn't made if he is sent out on loan once more.
Bondswell started his youth career at Nottingham Forest before snubbing the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea for RB Leipzig. The youngster was soon back in England, with Newcastle managing to persuade the talent to choose Tyneside as his next destination.
"I think Newcastle was the club which made the most sense in terms of where I am at the moment. They offer the best opportunity for me to be where I want to be in the future," Bondswell said last year.
"If you ask every footballer, the majority will say their goal is to play in the Premier League. That is part of the reason why I came to Newcastle as well because of the projects they have had with the young players in the under-23s, and hopefully going on to playing first-team football.
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