Play him if he is ready, stick him in the deep end to see what he is like. it's no use playing him against Chelsea if we don't know if he is ready. Keeping him wrapped up in cotton wool is not going to do us or him any favours. Get the guy on if he is deemed fit as that is why we payed a lot of money for him, there is no benefit to him or the club if he is ready by not playing him.
You don't "stick him in the deep end" at any level if he's not match fit let alone the toughest league in the world....and we won't.
If he is fit I still can't seeing him starting, maybe off the bench, for reasons others have mentioned. Plus, as Monk's new at this and desperate to succeed then I can see him sticking with a winning formula where possible. I just hope he can learn to be flexible enough tactically when required.
This, why alter a winning side , we beat one of the biggest clubs in the world at their place with tactics and substitutions bang on so bring him at a speed which is right for him , the team have been training all week whereas Fernandez hasn't , why risk it .
Amat doesn't deserved to be dropped after his performance at Utd, so it's not as if we are in a panic and need to throw him straight in. Give him 20 minutes v Burnley and go from there. I'd like to see a Fernandez and Amat partnership at some point too.
His transfer is awaiting international clearance according to some media reports,so maybe the cup match against Rotherham will now be his first introduction to the English game.
Sorry if he is fit and deemed ready then he has to play. all this crap of not playing a player you have just spent millions on is nonsense. If he is not ready then you cant do anything but wait but if he is passed fit and looks good under monks opinion then he must play. Thats why we braught him here.
We wouldn't play Ash right away if he hadn't played pre-season and had only just started training with our squad. The same applies for Fernandez. We'll do this right and introduce him at the right pace. Centre-back is not a position that you should be substituting during a match. It wastes a substitution that could be better used in positions that have greater impact at the goalscoring end of the pitch. Generally, defenders and goalkeepers are only substituted for 2 reasons - they are injured or they're on a yellow card and being given a roasting. I expect Amat to start on Saturday with Fede on the bench. He'll only make an appearance if (a) Ash or Amat come off for either of the above reasons, or (b) we're trouncing Burnley. I do fully expect to see him make his full debut against Rotherham a few days later. Fede got injured in the World Cup and hasn't played a match since. It would be foolish and unfair to chuck him into the Premier League straight away.
Thats the thing though from what most reports are saying he hasnt been involved in any pre season training. If true I dont think we will see him until Rotherham and then just to get a run out.
Apologies - if International clearance is slow it reinforces the prospect that we will not see him until the Rotherham match.
