Newcastle United might be on the up under the tutelage of Eddie Howe, but littered across St. James' Park are the remnants of a less prosperous past.
True, it's still early into the new dynasty at the Premier League club, with the affluent PIF takeover transforming the hopes and dreams of a proud and prestigious outfit, but already the difference from the pitch to the boardroom is clear.
Newcastle has been restored, with the footballing marriage of technical director Dan Ashworth and manager Howe paying off to a tee, having navigated away from relegation peril in the ex-Bournemouth manager's first season on Tyneside before eclipsing expectations with a sensational top-four finish last term, resulting in Champions League qualification.
The early results of the present season have not gone in Newcastle's favour, with a 5-1 victory over Aston Villa on the opening day followed up with three successive league defeats, but it's inevitable that this talented squad will click soon and start to climb the table in search of European qualification once again.
As stated, there are, however, certain utility members of the squad who could do with discarding and upgrading, with the likes of Javier Manquillo among those on the periphery under Howe's stewardship, something that doesn't look likely to change any time soon.
How much did Newcastle sign Javier Manquillo for?
Having previously featured on loan with Liverpool and for Newcastle's bitter rivals Sunderland, Manquillo made the £4.5m move to St. James' Park in 2017, penning a permanent transfer from Spanish giants Atletico Madrid.
His acquisition was made with the view that he would aid the club in cementing a position in the English top-flight, having achieved an instantaneous return to the big time with a first-place finish in the Championship, relegated the year prior for the second time in eight years.
That maiden year on Tyneside, he did earn 20 league starts, however, with just four coming during the second half of the campaign, when Newcastle's form picked up; in fact, seven of United's 12 Premier League victories came with Manquillo as an unused substitute, hardly evoking high levels of confidence.
He has now made 110 displays for the Magpies across all competitions since first penning a contract, though given how fleeting his action has been over the past few years, he is effectively just steadily draining the club's cash, earning a wage to sit on the fringe.
What is Javier Manquillo's salary at Newcastle?
Given that Manquillo is not a regular name on the teamsheet, it's somewhat surprising that he is on a salary of £35k-per-week, putting him on a similar wage to first-teamer Fabian Schar (£40k-per-week) and the same deal at Jacob Murphy (also £35k-per-week), who has been described as "so important" by his manager.
Indeed, despite not holding a particularly alarming injury record under Howe, he has only made 19 appearances since the 45-year-old's appointment in October 2021, playing just 33 minutes of league action last term – sidelined as an unused substitute on 24 occasions.
When combining the transfer fee paid with the dripping outlay of Manquillo's salary, it's gathered that Newcastle have consigned £16m to oblivion for an ace to have barely made a mark.
While such does not appear a particularly large amount in the modern game, it's a reminder that he has cost over £10m in wages across his six years at St. James' Park.
And indeed, even when he does earn time under the lights, his performances have left the likes of pundit Jamie Carragher criticising his "Championship" level defending, also branding him "really poor".
How good is Javier Manquillo?
While Manquillo was once deemed a prospect exciting enough to earn a loan move to Liverpool, even though they were at their nadir in the term preceding Klopp's arrival, he failed to impact a struggling Reds team and only chalked up 19 appearances, seeing his two-year loan spell cut short after not featuring in the Premier League beyond December.
Playing just 22 times for the Black Cats the year before his move to Newcastle, Manquillo did score on his final outing against Chelsea, albeit in a chastening 5-1 defeat.
The versatile defender was allegedly "told he's allowed to leave" this summer, according to one report, but no move materialised and it now looks likely that he will sit the 2023/24 season on the periphery before departing on a free transfer when his contract expires in June.
The report continued to claim that Newcastle had even offered a gentleman's proposal to allow him to depart on a free transfer, cutting his stay short by one year amid interest from LaLiga outfit's Girona and Getafe, with Manquillo said to be pushing himself for a return to his homeland.
For whatever reason, it didn't happen, and with journalist Luke Edwards rebuking him for his “awful” defending just months after Howe's arrival, it's evident that he lost his manager's backing right from the get-go.
Having yet to feature in any capacity within the matchday squad thus far this campaign, the prospects of pitch time for the 29-year-old Spaniard grow slimmer by the week.
This summer, Howe bolstered his full-back ranks with exciting young talents Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall, both previous Player of the Year holders with Chelsea's academy, and given that the likes of club captain Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Matt Targett and even Paul Dummett still reside on Tyneside, Manquillo might be moored in the shadows for a while longer.
Perhaps Manquillo might feel that his decision to reside on Tyneside is justified following the club's qualification to the Champions League, which is now but a stone's throw away.
However, the dynamo can only watch from the sidelines having not been included in Howe's final continental squad, set to miss out on the most exciting phase of the club's new direction; surplus to requirements.
It would be a prudent move for the full-back to depart the club as soon as he can, salvaging his career and forging a new chapter that might warrant some more time on the pitch.
At Newcastle, under Howe, he has barely made a mark, and the chances of a Toon resurgence for his ill-fortuned full-back are indeed infinitesimal.