Paraguay manager takes bold stance on Miguel Almiron amid Newcastle United struggles

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Miguel Almiron has well and truly fallen down Eddie Howe’s pecking order at Newcastle United.

The 30-year-old has spent the start of the season watching Newcastle United from the sidelines after dropping out of Eddie Howe‘s first-team plans.

Miguel Almiron has only played 63 minutes of football across all competitions this season, with the majority of them coming in the Carabao Cup win over Nottingham Forest.

Almiron, who was signed by Newcastle for £21m, would’ve hoped to get more minutes this week but Newcastle’s League Cup clash against Wimbledon was postponed.

Eddie Howe insists he is “delighted” with Almiron and his attitude despite not playing, but it seems he will have to settle for a reduced role this season with Harvey Barnes impressing in recent weeks.

International managers usually don’t like it when their players are starved of game time, and Paraguay’s manager has now made his stance clear on Almiron.

Paraguay manager on Miguel Almiron’s game time

Almiron has become a key player for Paraguay after breaking into the senior national team in 2015.

He has made 60 caps for his country and scored seven goals. He featured in all of their Copa America games over the summer where Paraguay were eliminated in the group stage.

A player lacking game time is usually a concern for international managers, but Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro has jumped to Almiron’s defence.

As per La Nacion, Alfaro said: “As long as he performs for the national team, I’m not worried.

“I know he’s doing very well, with a lot of expectations, going through a very particular situation.

“Honestly, I was very satisfied with the performance, not just of him, but of all the boys.”

Miguel Almiron could leave Newcastle United

It seems Almiron’s spot in the Paraguay team is not at risk, but he could still leave Newcastle in the near future.

Almiron had been linked with a move to Fulham over the summer, while there has also been interest from Saudi Arabia.

READ MORE: Nottingham Forest discussed signing £21m Newcastle player in swap deal for Anthony Elanga

He came extremely close to securing a return to the MLS but a move to Charlotte FC collapsed in August.

Newcastle were targeting a new right-sided winger over the summer and made a last-gasp £50m bid for Anthony Elanga. It suggests that Almiron has no way back into the Newcastle squad with the club trying to source an upgrade.