USMNT: DeAndre Yedlin departure a necessary step

DeAndre Yedlin is reportedly wanting to leave Newcastle United this summer, per Paul Tenorio. A departure is a necessary step for the USMNT defender who has fallen out of favour this season.

Playing football is vital. Every player needs to play. The younger prospects need regular opportunities to gain experience. Those in their primes are desperate to make the most of their best years. A football career is a not long one. While those in their thirties are simply playing out the final years of their careers and wanting to enjoy their football.

International teams do not have control over where their players play. They can provide advice, of course, and many players do make decisions on which club they will join based on the input of their international managers, recognising that they need to play and impress to earn international call-ups, but it is the player’s decision.

The U.S. Men’s National Team, then, simply has to hope that its players land in positive spots. Head coach Gregg Berhalter can hope that the players he intends to select are at clubs that offer both a competitive level and plenty of playing opportunity, but he has very little power over the situation.

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One player who has slipped down in Berhalter’s thinking over the past 18 months is right-back DeAndre Yedlin. The American will turn 27 in the summer. He is in the prime of his carer, has played one short of 100 Premier League matches, and should be gunning for a starting role under Berhalter. And yet, Reggie Cannon, Sergino Dest and even an adapted Tyler Adams have all played ahead of him in recent outings.

Yedlin has also slipped out of the Newcastle team. After joining the Magpies in 2016, he made 27, 34 and 29 league appearances in his first three years at the club. This year, that number has plummeted to just 12, totalling a measly 772 minutes. Javier Manquillo now starts ahead of him, despite Steve Bruce using wing-backs, which should suit Yedlin down to the ground.

However, Yedlin is set on leaving Newcastle, per Paul Tenorio via ESPN FC. Tenorio said:

"“DeAndre Yedlin is going to look for a move from Newcastle. The question is, where is he going to go? This is a prime example of a player who has a hefty salary on a team’s books and it behoves Newcastle to move him on. But what types of teams can afford him? Could there be interest in Germany, Holland, other places in England, potentially for a loan? I would expect Yedlin to be on the move if they can find a buyer or a team to take on that salary.”"

Given his decreasing opportunities to play, allied with Newcastle’s impending Saudi takeover which could see a huge injection of cash that allows the club to spend lavishly, likely finding a replacement for Yedlin and pushing him further down the pecking order, it is a needed step in the right direction.

Yedlin will not work his way back into the USMNT starting XI without playing regularly, and he is not going to be afforded that opportunity at St. James Park. Now, as Tenorio rightly makes aware, finding a buyer will be difficult. In the current climate, with clubs around the world feeling the financial pressures of no matches and little revenue, Yedlin might have to accept a loan deal before making a permanent switch. Nevertheless, finding a landing spot where he will play regularly is vital and could be the ideal rejuvenation of his prime.

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Yedlin has plenty of top-tier experience and should still be capable of at least pushing for that starting right-back role. But he needs to play, and that requires a Newcastle exit.

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