Salomon Rondon failed to get on the score sheet in his first start for new club Newcastle in their 2-1 defeat to Chelsea on Sunday, but the striker remains undettered.
The Venezuela international, who joined on a loan deal from West Brom this summer, played an hour or so for the Magpies before being replaced by Joselu, with the Spaniard going on to score Newcastle’s equaliser.
But Rondon is eager to win the fight for places at St James’s Park: “It’s the decision of the gaffer,” he told the Chronicle. “I will train hard and make the decision difficult for him. That’s it.
“I always just try to do my best. I am a good player and I wait for the decision from the manager. I tried to get fit as quickly as possible [after missing most of pre season]. I didn’t play games but day by day I will work hard and be ready.”
OPINION
It was a somewhat inauspicious start to life in the famous black and white stripes for Rondon on Sunday. Admittedly, he wasn’t helped by the manager’s tactics. Rafael Benitez’s decision to switch to a five man defence made sense from a pragmatic point of view, but it certainly didn’t give Rondon much to chew on up front. The Venezuelan was isolated for large portions of the game, and forced to spend most of his energy harrying defenders. Obviously when his replacement Joselu came off the bench to score it didn’t look great for Rondon, but this wasn’t a game in which to make a judgement on the former West Brom man’s quality. He will prove to be a smart addition for the Magpies, and he’s showing a terrific attitude in his comments here. He’s willing to work hard in training to try and impress the manager, but seems to be acceptant of whatever selection decision Benitez makes. That sort of work ethic will definitely ingratiate him to the Newcastle support.
