OPINION
Newcastle United have struggled for goals so far this season, with Rafa Benitez’s side netting just six times in their eight Premier League games.
The Magpies are still winless in the division after their second-half capitulation against Manchester United, which saw them surrender a two-goal lead at Old Trafford.
And it is in attack where there biggest problems lie, with star summer signing Salomon Rondon yet to score in the league, and players like Ayoze Perez failing to fire.
There have been some promising signs, with Joselu scoring two goals in big games, while £9.5million acquisition Yoshinori Muto got off the mark against the Red Devils with a clever turn-and-finish.
There are however serious questions over where the goals are going to come from which will fire the Magpies to Premier League safety, and Benitez will no doubt have to bring in another striker in the January transfer window.
The club’s Under-23 side are meanwhile having no such problems, scoring 14 goals in their first seven PL2 matches this season.
The star for the development side has been Danish striker Elias Sorensen, who now has eight goals in all competitions after his latest effort against Notts County in the Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday night.
Speaking to the Chronicle, youth coach Ben Dawson has spoken about his impact this season: “He’s working his socks off. He can be a testing character at times; you can see from his body language on the pitch he gets really annoyed with himself if he has a bad touch or missed a chance.
“But the good this is he’s willing to work hard and he’s willing to listen.”
It is clear that Sorensen is working hard to make an impact for the Newcastle Under-23s, and considering their struggles in the senior side, Rafa Benitez must now keep close tabs on the 19-year-old Dane.
While Sorensen is quite clearly still very raw, Benitez simply cannot afford to rule out any options to beef up his attack in the coming months.
The likelihood of Mike Ashley funding a move for a big-money forward in January is low, meaning another budget signing is likely, which in turn opens that up to the possibility of that player failing to make the required impact.
Sorensen, who stands at 5ft 10in [Eurosport], could end up being a secret weapon for the Magpies in the Premier League this season if he continues to make waves at youth level.
And Benitez must now think about giving him a chance to show his worth in the senior side, should things continue the way they are.
