Sheffield United 2-2 Newcastle United - Player Ratings

5. Massadio Haidara - 6

Nowhere near as prominent going forward as he has been during his other pre-season appearances for the Magpies this summer, Haidara was slightly better than Daryl Janmaat defensively - but the Frenchman was also caught out of possession. Haidara seems to love the extra freedom he has been granted going forward by Steve McClaren and Ian Cathro, but the coaching duo will be scratching their heads wondering how they can keep that licence to attack alive while also offering more defensive cover out wide. There was nothing alarming enough to suggest Haidara shouldn't be considered Newcastle's starting left-back going forward though.
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Contributor

NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.