Frank McAvennie was recently critical about Ryan Fraser’s injury history and believes Newcastle United have a problem to solve, but he also mentioned the 28-year-old refusing to play for his former club and lying to his national team about his fitness.
Before Fraser joined Newcastle, he was at Bournemouth and rejected a short-term contract extension when the global pandemic postponed the 2019/20 Premier League season. Rather than help the Cherries in their fight for survival, he abandoned then-manager Eddie Howe so he could avoid injury ahead of a summer move.
And regarding Scotland, Fraser pulled out of international duty after citing an injury but reported to Newcastle training days later. Manager Steve Clarke wasn’t pleased with his conduct and hasn’t played him since. McAvennie wasn’t impressed either looking back.
He told Football Insider: “There was a fury when he left Bournemouth because he refused to play. Then you have the issues with Scotland when he lied about his injury but trained for Newcastle. You can’t be doing that, that’s terrible as a professional.”
Fraser joined Newcastle on a five-year deal in 2020 and has gone on to make 50 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals with six assists. He endured a difficult debut season due to inconsistency and injury but has featured much more in his second campaign.
In other news, Frank McAvennie says Newcastle ‘need to fix’ injury problem with Ryan Fraser
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