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In the latter stages of the January transfer window, it was announced that Newcastle United had signed defender Antonio Barreca on loan from Monaco for the remainder of the season.

The 23-year-old played four minutes of Newcastle's 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League at the start of February, but has not been seen since.

The Chronicle reporter Chris Waugh has revealed that Barreca is not injured, but is simply down the pecking order, which is the reason for his absence at the moment.

It does seem a touch strange that the 5ft 11in Italian cannot even make the bench, but that is the situation as things stand in March.

Newcastle actually have the option to sign Barreca on a permanent deal this summer, although that seems extremely unlikely due to his current struggles.

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The Toon Army fans have been on social media offering their views on the situation and a selection of their reaction can be seen below: