Danny Higginbotham believes that Newcastle United striker Salomon Rondon is proving why Rafa Benitez was right to bring him in during the summer.
Rondon arrived on a loan deal from West Bromwich Albion, with Magpies forward Dwight Gayle heading in the other direction – and Higginbotham says that Rondon is critical to the way that Newcastle have been playing.
The Sky Sports pundit adds that Rondon is a striker who does not mind spearheading the attack as the lone striker as well as providing some defensive stability to the side.
“Salomon Rondon was the first name on Rafa Benitez’s transfer list last summer. He eventually got the striker on loan from West Brom — and Rondon is now showing why Rafa wanted him so badly, as he is pivotal to their approach,” he said in his column for the Sun.
“It’s not just the goals, he helps Toon defensively as well. They have recently switched to a back three, or back five, and with Rondon have a striker who is comfortable leading the line on his own.
“He’s great with his back to goal, runs the channels and holds the ball up.”
OPINION
Higginbotham is right – Rondon is starting to prove why he is so crucial to Newcastle’s style of play. He has come good in the last few weeks and has really started to come into his own by scoring regular goals for the side. Like he has pointed out here, Rondon is also a player who likes to help the team out defensively too. Many strikers neglect this aspect of their game, but the fact that he has shown this part of his game shows his absolute commitment to his team and sharing the burden with them. His physical presence means that he is able to lead the line on his own, just like Higginbotham has highlighted – with someone playing just behind him. This has been Ayoze Perez recently, but his bad form suggests that Yoshinori Muto is set to take his place in that role – meaning that Rondon is set to thrive even more.
