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Rafa Benitez has certainly been ruthless during his 11-month stint on Tyneside so far.

The Newcastle United squad has been overhauled - with Cheick Tiote the latest of the ‘old guard’ to (finally) be jettisoned - and those who are now in situ at St James’ Park have fast discovered that the Magpies boss will not tolerate mediocrity.

Aleksandar Mitrovic, Ayoze Perez and Jack Colback were all regulars in the Premier League, yet the trio have been in and out of the side during the course of the Championship season.

Captain Jamaal Lascelles, meanwhile, has learned that being skipper does not make him immune to the axe if performances are poor.

Yet the Magpie who has perhaps most keenly felt Benitez’s wrath is Chancel Mbemba.

In recent months, given how well the Lascelles-Ciaran Clark central-defensive axis had been working until a few hiccups over the last couple of games, the noise around the Democratic Republic of Congo defender has calmed down significantly.

But when the 22-year-old was first dropped from the side back in mid-September, and during his prolonged exile to the bench, some fans were understandably dumbfounded.

This is the same Mbemba, after all, who made 35 appearances in all competitions last season - and who looked as if he was born to play in the Premier League.

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Yet Mbemba is now, given Grant Hanley’s emergence over the past few games, arguably fourth-choice centre-back at Newcastle now.

But just how - and why - has Mbemba’s rapid demise under Benitez come about?

The key is in the detail

It is perhaps fitting that Mbemba is due to make his Magpies return following a month away at the Africa Cup of Nations - followed by minor stiffness which forced him out of consideration for selection for the 1-0 victory over Derby County - against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It was, you see, against the very same opposition that Mbemba’s apparent inability to follow instructions finally forced Benitez to lose patience with the talented defender.

Ahead of that match, the Newcastle boss had identified that the Wolves midfielders tended to flood the centre of the pitch and rush forward to press high.

In order to bypass the congested midfield, Benitez instructed his centre-backs to play diagonal balls out of defence to the wingers or full-backs.

Instead, on at least three occasions early in the game, Mbemba directed passes centrally towards his team-mates - only for them to be intercepted by Wolves midfielders.

One mistake led to another; not just for Mbemba, but for Newcastle as a whole.

Mbemba’s lackadaisical performance became contagious; the Magpies never recovered, and they slipped to a disappointing 2-0 defeat at home to Wolves - who were at that stage languishing just above the relegation zone.

Mbemba’s loss has been Clark’s gain.

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But the reality is that Mbemba started the season very much part of Benitez’s first-team vision.

A slight niggle for Mbemba ahead of the first match of the season saw Lascelles and Hanley start together, but both struggled - and the Scotland international did not get another league opportunity for months after that disappointing display.

Mbemba was swiftly promoted back into the side and even started five league games in a row.

In fact Mbemba has still played more league minutes (653) than any of Mitrovic (539), Hanley (258), Jesus Gamez (73) or Achraf Lazaar (37).

In that opening-day defeat at Fulham, Newcastle’s centre-backs struggled in possession and were actively targeted by the Cottagers.

So Benitez turned to Mbemba - he is by far the most comfortable ball-playing centre-back in the Newcastle ranks - in order to address this problem.

But then, five games later, came the woeful Wolves performance.

It was not the first time Benitez believed Mbemba had failed to carry out a precise plan, and it clearly frustrated the Spaniard.

Benitez is not a manager who countenances disobedience; he can accept mistakes, but not a failure to execute specific orders.

Since then we have seen Mbemba just twice further in a black-and-white shirt; and only once more in the league - another disappointing home defeat, this time the 1-0 loss at Blackburn Rovers in November.

Clark - a summer signing from Aston Villa, the wisdom of which was questioned by many, including yours truly - has shone and has been Newcastle’s most-consistent defender.

Mbemba hasn’t been given a sniff.

So are we likely to see Mbemba return to the first team any time soon?

It is a question only Benitez can answer, although the suspicion is that Mbemba will have to seriously impress in training to get another extended run in the side.

Not only is Clark performing well but Hanley’s experience at Championship level has shone through in recent games.

While Lascelles, although underwhelming at the moment, remains the club’s captain and he retains Benitez’s trust.

Whether Mbemba still has his manager’s faith, however, is not entirely clear.

Last summer the 22-year-old’s laid-back attempts to learn English saw him receive a talking-to from Benitez, who told him to integrate more quickly.

And, even if Mbemba did perform well for the DR Congo at the AFCON in Gabon - where he was often used as a defensive-midfielder, it must be noted - Benitez is not someone who forgets in a hurry.

Mbemba’s repeated failure to carry out specific instructions mean he is likely to remain on the periphery of Benitez’s first-team plans in the short term.

There are those who argue his game is better suited to the Premier League, given his ball-playing ability.

But surely Mbemba must force his way back into Benitez’s plan before the end of the season, if he is to form part of the Spaniard’s top-flight plans going forward - should Newcastle secure promotion, of course.