Manager refuses to rule out N’Zogbia staying
9:11am Saturday 10th May 2008
CHARLES N'ZOGBIA has been told he could still have a future at Newcastle United, after the young Frenchman forced his way back into Kevin Keegan's squad.
N'Zogbia has his sights set on a move to London during the close-season and his situation has led to him being excluded from the Magpies squad for two months.
He returned to the fold for last weekend's defeat to Chelsea, when he emerged as a secondhalf substitute, and Keegan claimed that was just rewards for the player's approach.
And with Joey Barton unavailable this afternoon as bail conditions stipulate he can't play on Merseyside, there is every chance N'Zogbia will be asked to figure for the second week in a row.
The former Le Havre winger is, however, still likely to depart this summer, with both Arsenal and Tottenham interested in taking him south.
"Charles has shown the desired reaction following our chat a few weeks ago, even though he had to wait to come in," said Keegan.
"It's well documented and it's on record, so I'm not saying anything you don't know but he wanted to move just as I came in.
"I came in with eight days left of the transfer window, I told him what I thought was common sense, which was looking at the limited chances I had of getting anyone in that I wasn't going to let you go now.
"But I did say that if he felt the same way at the end of the season he could go but on our terms."
N'Zogbia played almost every game before Keegan's arrival in mid-January, but he has since been banished to the sidelines while Newcastle fought a battle against relegation.
Keegan, however, has been impressed, saying: "To be fair to Charles, he has trained fantastically well and he has had to wait for his opportunity to get back into the team. There's no way I was going to put players in when the players who were in possession were doing so well.
"It's a different thing now with Everton because there's no Mark Viduka or Joey Barton so there are opportunities. I will take one or two young players with us but whether they get on we'll wait and see."