Pardew denies he’s looking to cut losses on defender.
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Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew has rejected suggestions that the club are looking to let defender Mapou Yango-Mbiwa leave anytime soon, Sky Sports reports.
The club brought the player on board during the January transfer window for a sizeable fee, but he has so far found it difficult to settle in England and his form has dipped as a result.
Montpellier, his former club, have opened the door for a return in January, as chairman Laurent Nicollin of the opinion that a deal is there to be done between the two.
However, Newcastle boss Pardew has insisted that the player very much remains a part of his plans and can be a key force in the Premier League once he finds his feet.
“Everybody has the right to an opinion, but that particular one is not an opinion I share.
“We paid a lot of money for him and you’re looking for a bit of character in a player in this situation. That’s what we’ve seen from him.
“If you take a defender out of the side, you have to say why and give them some solutions. I’d like to think I’ve done that for him and we need to get the kind of performance out of him that he’s put in for this club in the past.
“It’s very difficult for defenders to adjust to the Premier League, much more so than for attackers because I think the intensity catches them out.
“He’s come out of the side, had a look at it and now he’s back in again. I’d like to think he’ll show his character.”