Antonio Barreca has jokingly asked Newcastle United if they have forgotten him in a humorous Instagram post.
The Italian has not played since making his debut for the Magpies as a substitute in the 1-0 defeat to Spurs at Wembley on February 2 - just a few days after he completed his loan move from Monaco.
But, since that four-minute cameo, Barreca has failed to even make the match day squad with Matt Ritchie and Paul Dummett well ahead of him when it comes to playing in his favoured role at left wing-back.
Barreca has not had any injuries so his continued omission has left Newcastle fans a little bemused - particularly when Rafa Benitez said he would give his side 'options and flexibility' after he joined.
The 24-year-old took to Instagram a few hours after the club's training photos were posted on the social media platform - initially without a picture of him.
But the post, liked by Miguel Almiron, Kenedy and Federico Fernandez, was initially interpreted by fans as a more general point about his lack of playing time.
'Ehy [sic] @nufc I'm here too! Have you forgotten?!' he captioned a photo of him training at Benton with his team-mates.
Barreca has since edited the caption and replaced it with: 'I’m doing my best to be ready for the first chance.'
The Italian only made nine appearances for Monaco following his move from Torino last summer - which is all the more galling when the Principality were battling relegation under former manager Thierry Henry.
Newcastle moved for Barreca after Lazio wing-back Jordan Lukaku failed a medical.
