One to Watch – Jonjo Shelvey

Name: Jonjo Shelvey
Date of Birth: 27/02/1992
Previous clubs: Charlton, Liverpool, Blackpool (L), Swansea.
Apps (goals): 267 (34)

It`s been an incredible few weeks for Ryan Manning, with his breakthrough into the first team closely followed by a new deal and his first goal for the club, and after having been rested from the start in Saturday`s defeat to Burton, he will face his toughest test to date should Ian Holloway recall him to central midfield at Newcastle.

While the Championship`s top scorer Dwight Gayle may grab the majority of the headlines for the Magpies this season, it`s arguably Jonjo Shelvey that is the key player in Rafa Benitez`s side, and Rangers fans will be all too aware of his qualities after he helped mastermind Newcastle`s 6-0 demolition at Loftus Road in September.

He bagged a couple of goals that night, taking his tally for the season to three, and while his goal return could improve for a player of his ability in the second tier, he has contributed seven assists, the second highest in the division, and his vision, extensive passing range and drive from midfield make him a cut above in this league.

Despite being just 24 years old, he made his professional debut nine years ago, two months after turning 16, as he was named in the starting line-up for Charlton`s final two matches of the 2007/2008 season, and featured 20 times the following campaign for the Addicks, scoring four goals, which ended in relegation to League One.

A year later, after having made 48 appearances for the South London club, he was signed by Benitez for Liverpool in April 2010 for a fee of £1.7million, and in his first season at Anfield, he turned out 21 times for the Reds across the Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup, before a loan spell with Holloway at Blackpool.

After a short cameo in Liverpool`s 3-1 defeat of Exeter in the Carling Cup at the start of the 2011/2012 campaign, he moved to Bloomfield Road for a ten-game spell, scoring six times for the Tangerines in the Championship, before returning to make a further 15 appearances that season for the Reds, scoring twice.

The following season would be his final as a Liverpool player, during which he picked up his first cap for the England national side in a 5-0 World Cup qualifying victory over San Marino, just a few weeks after being sent off for the first time in his career as he was given his marching orders in a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United.

Having failed to establish himself in the Reds midfield, Shelvey departed the club in July 2013 after three years at Anfield, which yielded just 17 starts, as he moved to fellow Premier League side Swansea in search of regular games, the side against whom he made his final appearance for the Reds, for a reported £5million fee.

It was a move that saw Shelvey play week in week out in the Premier League, as he made 42 outings in his first campaign at the Liberty Stadium, scoring six times in the league, the first of which came against his previous employers, and he became a mainstay in the Swansea midfield during his two-and-a-half years in South Wales.

After just shy of 100 appearances in all competitions for the Swans, he moved to current club Newcastle for a reported £12million fee in January last year, taking his total transfer fees just short of £20million, and despite the arrival of Benitez to the club two months later, Newcastle were relegated after a dismal top-flight season.

Having made six appearances for England, Shelvey won`t have given up on featuring again for the national side, and a return to the Premier League looks on the cards for Shelvey and his teammates this season, as they sit six points clear of third-placed Reading with a game in hand ahead of the midweek round of fixtures.