Santiago Munoz joined Newcastle United in 2021, and now the Mexican forward could be set to leave St James’ Park very soon.
The 20-year-old was the final signing made by Mike Ashley, arriving on an 18-month loan deal from Santos Laguna.
His arrival certainly made headlines, simply down to how close his name is to Santiago Munez – the lead character in football film ‘Goal!’, which is about a young player moving to Newcastle and playing for the Magpies.
Munoz sounded like the real life version of Kuno Becker’s character, but his Toon career has not gone quite as well.
The forward has suffered a lot with injuries, while he has never made a first-team appearance in a competitive game. He did come off the bench in pre-season against Athletic Bilbao, and he has trained with the senior team on multiple occasions, but that is as good as it has got for Munoz.
His loan deal is going to expire soon, and it has been reported that Newcastle are not going to activate their option to buy him permanently.
Under-21s boss Elliott Dickman has refused to confirm if Munoz will leave, but he has now provided an update on when the youngster’s fate will be decided.
Dickman on Munoz’s Newcastle future
Munoz came off the bench in the Newcastle youth side’s defeat to Sheffield United on Monday. After the game, Dickman spoke to the Chronicle about his future at the club.
“He’s [Munoz] been very focused and professional,” he said.
“He’s a really nice lad, he interacts with the staff really well and has a really good sense of humour. He works really hard every day, I can not praise him enough on that side of things.
“It’s good that he’s back, it’s good he’s on the grass with us and back enjoying playing football. No-one likes being injured, I know Santi didn’t. It’s good for him, and whatever the future holds for him will be decided in due course.”
Munoz seems likely to leave
It was reported in September by Record in Mexico that Munoz was going to leave Newcastle. They stated that he was ‘losing momentum in England‘, and that the Magpies did not want to sign him permanently or renew his loan.
While Dickman nor anyone else from the club has confirmed this rumour, it doesn’t sound promising for Munoz.
The Under-21s boss has denied that the attacker is set to leave, but nor has he came close to hinting that he could stay beyond his loan deal.
Record in Mexico claimed that Munoz’s Newcastle loan will come to an end in December, meaning the clock is ticking on his Toon career.
Dickman has stated that a decision will be made in ‘due course’, and it feels like the writing is on the wall for a young man who arrived with so much fanfare.
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