Newcastle forward Ayoze Perez says he is looking forward to his 100th appearance for the Magpies. The Spaniard made his debut against Manchester City in 2014 after moving from Tenerife, and subsequently established himself as a first team regular.
The 23 year old admitted last week that he had “several offers” to leave the Magpies in the summer after the club’s relegation from the Premier League, but manager Rafa Benitez’s decision to stay at the club convinced him to remain as well.
Talking to the club’s official website (quotes via the Shields Gazette), the Spaniard said he is very happy to be reaching such a milestone so quickly:
“It is unbelievable. This is my third season already. The time has gone really quick. Now if I play on Saturday I can say I have made 100 appearances for this big club. This is something really big for me.
Perez has had to fight for a starting place this season with Benitez opting to switch him from his more recognised position as an out and out forward to the number 10 role. Mo Diame has been chosen to play the position ahead of him on a number of occasions this campaign but Perez has still managed to start 21 games (playing 34 games in total), scoring nine times in all competitions.
