Aleksandar Mitrovic rubs salt into Newcastle’s goal-scoring wounds

Add as preferred source on Google

Newcastle have struggled for goals this season, and only have a solitary strike from a forward, so it is ironic that one not deemed good enough is now top scorer in the Championship.

Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a hat-trick for Fulham against Luton on Wednesday, taking his season tally to 11 – more than twice as many as Newcastle have managed all season!

I am not pining for the striker to return, as I always thought his lack of pace meant he would never become top class, but rather it angers me that we never really replaced him.

That might sound strange, considering we spent £40 million on Joelinton in the summer, and had Salomon Rondon last season.

But, for me, neither our record signing, nor Rondon, are prolific goal-scorers in the Alan Shearer or Harry Kane mould.

Joelinton needs a strike partner at Newcastle

Joelinton is being used totally wrong by Steve Bruce this season, which speaks volumes of his coaching ability, and will never score goals consistently in the lone striker role he has been expected to play.

He needs someone alongside him, and a proper goal-scorer for him to partner, would see him score more goals, and set numerous up for his teammate.

Rondon is similar to Joelinton in that respect, whereas he had Perez to set-up and feed off, which is why the pair of them scored 23 of our 42 league goals between them.

Had Newcastle signed someone who is a proven goal-getter, as well as bringing Joelinton in, we could have had a different start to the season.

But that is not the Newcastle way, and the Public Relations move to bring Andy Carroll home was deemed more important.

While Carroll could be the goal-scorer I was talking about, him not figuring much to this point, the question-mark over his ability to stay fit, and a reluctance by Bruce to play two up top, means he may not be the answer.

As it stands, some Newcastle fans will see a former player like Mitro scoring for fun, and wonder why we let him go, but remember – like I fear with Dwight Gayle – it may be that he has simply found his level.