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Rio Ferdinand believes Newcastle will be ‘delighted’ to have finished bottom of their Champions League group and dumped out of Europe – but Jermaine Jenas thinks otherwise.
The Magpies’ Champions League dream came to an end on Wednesday night after they were beaten 2-1 by AC Milan at St James’ Park.
The result saw them finish bottom of their group on their long-awaited return to the competition, despite being on the cusp of sealing their spot in the knockout stages at one point in the game.
Howe said after the game he was ‘absolutely devastated not to go through’ and hailed his injury-hit squad for almost qualifying for the last-16. However, Ferdinand believes the fact Newcastle finished bottom will be a blessing in disguise, given their mounting injury issues.
Rio Ferdinand (left) and Jermaine Jenas (right) have differing opinions on Newcastle’s Champions League exit
Newcastle were dumped out of the Champions League after finishing bottom of their group
‘Eddie Howe and the players can’t say this, but I am guaranteeing you now that they will be delighted, I think, to not be going into the Europa League because of the amount of injuries they have got,’ Ferdinand said on TNT Sports. ‘Kieran Trippier has just limped past us here – and a few of them are quite medium to long-term.
‘It makes it very difficult to be battling on many fronts in different competitions when your squad is so threadbare.
‘They have to get these players back fit, and more and more games would make that more and more unlikely for those players to come back fit.’
Newcastle are currently unable to call upon seven first-team players, with Jacob Murphy, Sven Botman, Nick Pope, Elliot Anderson, Joe Willock, Harvey Barnes, Javier Manquillo and Matt Targett all out injured.
This has left the Magpies stretched in all competitions and while Ferdinand believes no European football will be better in the long haul, Jenas insists Europa League football is another great avenue to getting Champions League nights back on Tyneside.
‘It is one of them. If it is in the top five and they get into the Champions League [next season], great, but if they get into the Europa League it gives you another chance,’ Jenas said.
Eddie Howe admitted he was ‘devastated not to be going through’ to the knockout stages
‘I think with the competition that is going to be coming from all the clubs around them, from Villa, Spurs, United might come back into it, there are loads of teams battling it out for Champions League places.
‘I think the Europa League would have been good for them to get that experience.
‘That was the feeling I got from Eddie Howe – that European football would have been better for their experience, but I get Rio’s point that they’re down to their bare bones. ‘
