'He's got everything': Matt Ritchie insists Newcastle team-mate Jonjo Shelvey is good enough for BARCELONA and could easily play for LaLiga giants if he had 'his head screwed on'
- Jonjo Shelvey has been capped six times by England but not since 2015
- Matt Ritchie says the former Liverpool midfielder's ability is beyond question
- Midfielder has been a stand-out performer for Steve Bruce's side this season
Matt Ritchie believes Newcastle team-mate Jonjo Shelvey could play for Barcelona 'if only his head was screwed on'.
Shelvey, 28, has been capped six times by England but has not played for his country since joining the Magpies in 2016.
The midfielder has been a stand-out performer for Steve Bruce's side this season and Ritchie says he 'has got everything'.
![Jonjo Shelvey has been a stand-out performer for Steve Bruce's Newcastle this season](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/04/00/27960988-0-image-a-60_1588547389752.jpg)
Jonjo Shelvey has been a stand-out performer for Steve Bruce's Newcastle this season
'What a player, I've been at Newcastle four years and I've seen him inside a box no more than 10 times,' Scotland international Ritchie told the In The Box YouTube channel.
'That's how good he is. His natural ability to see passes, to receive the ball, to move the ball.
'I remember playing against him as a kid - I think he scored a hat-trick, he was unbelievable.
'He's got his moves - ending up at Newcastle. I say to him on regular occasions: 'If you had your head screwed on you could play for Barcelona.'
![Matt Ritchie believes Shelvey could play for Barcelona 'if only his head was screwed on'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/04/00/27961040-0-image-a-61_1588547591791.jpg)
Matt Ritchie believes Shelvey could play for Barcelona 'if only his head was screwed on'
'He's that good. He's got everything.'
Ritchie also claimed Shelvey's love of golf is one of the reasons he hasn't reached his full potential.
He added: 'I've said to him so many times 'if you just got head down and focused just solely on football and forget about golf and whatever else.
'He's mad - he'll play golf like three times a week. 'm like 'Jonjo, you can't do that.'
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