Federico Fernandez has trained 'extremely well' and been an 'outstanding professional' during his spell out of the picture at Newcastle United.
That is the view of assistant head coach Jason Tindall as Fernandez waits patiently for his chance to impress new boss Eddie Howe.
Fernandez has not played for Newcastle since a 2-1 defeat at Wolves on October 2 and the former Argentina international has not even made the bench since Steve Bruce's final game in charge against Spurs last month - despite the Magpies having the luxury of naming nine substitutes.
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Graeme Jones, who had a brief stint as interim boss, previously admitted that he 'didn't see any value' in putting Fernandez on the bench because the 32-year-old needed to start.
Howe opted not to name a recognised centre-back among the substitutes against Brentford last time out - Emil Krafth and Isaac Hayden instead provided cover - but Tindall is convinced Fernandez will eventually get his chance.
"Fede, of course, is in contention just like the rest of the squad," he told reporters on Zoom ahead of the trip to Arsenal.
"Everyone's always in contention for every game. The manager will always pick a team that he believes is the best team to win the game. He will choose the bench providing on what we feel is needed to cover for that game as well.
"I can only speak on how Fede's been since we've been here. He's trained extremely well. He's an outstanding professional, a fantastic guy, and a real leader within the group.
"There's so many games in the Premier League. Every one of these players are going to be called upon at some point. As and when that happens? Who knows."
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