Things aren’t going well right now for Miguel Almiron at Newcastle.
The Paraguayan has had a rough start to the season and was pretty much non-existent on Saturday against Liverpool. In fairness, he had just returned from international duty the day before, which was hardly the best preparation. But regardless, it was an anonymous display from him.
But in a way, he’s lucky as his position in the team isn’t under threat…yet.
Almiron was replaced by Yoshinori Muto against Liverpool, who was arguably even more woeful. The Japanese forward spent most of his time offside.
After Muto, Steve Bruce doesn’t have any other options. Until Allan Saint-Maximin returns to fitness, Almiron surely won’t be replaced.
That means Almiron has a bit extra time to prove his worth and show he should play alongside Saint-Maximin, rather than be replaced by him. The Magpies have the makings of a great front three, but we are yet to see it.
The more Almiron struggles, the more worried fans will become. We need a consistent attacker who we can turn to, and to begin with it looked like Almiron was that man. However, the initial buzz of the 25-year-old has passed and we need to see results.
His next chance will come against Brighton, which might just be last chance saloon. Struggle again, and Almiron might find himself on the bench against Leicester.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
